Orphaned
by HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR
Summary: Altaïr, Ezio, Connor, Aveline and Desmond are orphans, but they consider themselves as siblings. They take care of one another and are supported by some mysterious benefactor, and are able to live slightly easier. Though its not quite clear if this benefactor has the best intentions. Kid!fic Modern!AU
1. The Family

There was an almost eerily quiet feel to the convenience store that morning. It was almost entirely deserted, except for the cashier who continued to idly flip through his magazine, occasionally flipping out his cell phone, to check the time. Of course, the quiet and solitude were not anything new to the current sole patron of the store that morning. In fact, both those things suited Altair just fine. He liked it a lot better than being in crowded supermarkets, or even busy city streets, and on this particular morning, the store he was in had an almost postapocalyptic feel to it. Or it could just have been the fact that no one was going to a convenience store at ten in the morning on a Wednesday.

Altair reached up and tugged his white beanie down a little further over his light hair, and fidgeted with the obnoxiously colored basket he gripped tightly in his right hand. He slowly made his way up the aisle, reaching out and running his fingers over the bright packages, filled with junk, and luxuries he could not afford, or want. He came to the end of the aisle and found himself standing in front of a large glass door, behind which sat several cardboard packages, each containing enough sugary drinks to stop a young man's heart. His lip quirked as he pulled the corner back, in a thoughtful gaze as he stared at the bright red package sitting behind the glass. Slowly his hand when to his pocket and his fingers closed tightly around the package within as he started counting in his head and glancing down at the basket in his hands. So far it was only filled with necessities, and nothing more.

He counted out the prices in his head, and as he did, he tapped his fingers up and down along the white envelope he held tightly in his fingers. He had enough. Just barely enough. Altair sighed and wrenched the glass case open, he propped it up against his shoulder and grabbed the cardboard container by the handle, and wrenched it from its nesting spot among the other boxes. It fell heavily in his hands and he grunted, before readjusting his grip. He kicked the door shut, and then turned around, balancing himself and making his way back towards the counter. He hoisted the goods up onto the marble top, causing the cashier to look up at him through thick black rimmed glasses in disbelief. Though Altair couldn't blame him. It wasn't every day that a fifteen year old boy came in and bought groceries rather than junk food.

"Will this be all for you?" He asked as disinterestedly as possible.

"Yes." Altair returned with coolness of his own.

Slowly, and with a great dramatic sigh, the cashier managed to shove himself away from the counter, and began to run the items Altair had set in front of him through the scanner. As he did, Altair pushed his hand into his pocket and retrieved the bulging white envelope. Once all the items had been run through and the price blinked onto the electronic pad, he split the envelope and pulled several bills from the case, and handed it over to the clerk. The teen eyed him suspiciously, and slowly accepted the money and tapped the cash register. He slid the bills under a few metal slots, and began to remove the appropriate amount of change, his eyes never leaving Altair for one second.

"So what happened to your hand?" He sniffed before handing the change back. He then began to pull the goods from the counter and deposit them into plastic bags.

Altair tilted his head at the question and looked down at his hand. He groaned, as he suddenly realized what the teen was talking about. The fact that his ring finger was gone from his left hand did not bother him anymore, his stub was just a part of him. He reached forwards and picked up the plastic bags offered to him, and then looped his three fingers under the cardboard handle of the box of soda. "I was in an accident." He explained curtly. "I don't need a receipt."

He turned on his heel, and grimaced at the heavy bags and box he held, suspended only by his fingertips. A long time ago, the pain would have started to bother him, but over the years his hands had become calloused and immune to the feeling. He pushed the door to the store open with his shoulder and stepped out onto the street. He took a deep breath and began to make his way through the parking lot.

The sun beat down on the back of his neck, and despite the sweat that began to accumulate under his hoodie and beanie, he did not stop. Winter was just beginning to set in, and the slight chill in the air wasn't enough to cool him down as he continued to walk. The streets were lined with small one-story houses, with faded yellow plaster for walls, and old brown shingles for roofs, and busted screen doors with metal rimming in the center of almost every one. The lawns were unkempt and dying, and what bushes there were, were overgrown and wild. The large trees that grew along the street and in the backyards created a sort of canopy, shielding the neighborhood from the sun.

Altair continued down these streets for several blocks, stopping every now and again to readjust his grip on his groceries. Finally he came to a stop in front of a small, unassuming house with grey vinyl siding, and iron rods over all the windows and a large cedar door. He walked up the broken up sidewalk and stepped up to the door, and moving the bags up to his mouth and taking the handles with his teeth. He then began to fish through his pockets until he produced a small metal key. He slid it into the lock and turned it with some difficulty, until a creaking noise was heard, and then a loud noisy thump. He sighed through clenched teeth and grabbed the door handle and twisted it, pushing it inwards. He took the groceries from his mouth and stepped inside, taking a deep breath.

"I'm home." He announced loudly.

The door opened up to a small dusty living space, with an old dirty brown couch, and one very large cushy arm chair. There were a pile of shoes by the door, and a long wooden coffee table in front of the couch, which was littered with pieces of paper and crayons. Altair kicked his shoes off into the pile and slowly began to make his way past the living area into a darkened hallway. There were several doors along the hallway and one lit opening closest to him.

He turned and walked into the kitchen, though calling it a kitchen was being generous. The refrigerator had more than likely been white at one point, but it was yellowed and blackened by time, and the doors looked more than ready to fall apart. The cabinets that could be seen had had their doors pulled clean off, leaving their insides bare and exposed, and for the most part, their insides were completely empty. One shelf held a few bowls and plates, and even a pot and pan or two. A black microwave sat on one of the counters, but other than that, there was nothing that would suggest any form of cooking happened in this kitchen. There was one large circular table in the middle, that was lined with water stains, and stains of other natures that Altair still wasn't sure of. He set the carton of soda onto the floor and set the bag of groceries onto the table, before running a hand along the back of his neck. From behind him, he heard footsteps, and turned around in time to see another boy only a few years younger than him walk into the room.

"Altair, you're back!"

"Good morning, Ezio." Altair sighed, slumping into one of five rickety wooden chairs.

"Is it still? Oh, its only eleven." The boy sighed after a glance at the microwave which still, despite its age, displayed the time in big blue numbers. He picked at one of the handles of the groceries and then looked up at Altair. "Another packet of money from our mysterious benefactor?"

Altair looked up at Ezio and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Altair." Ezio folded his arms. "The children may not question how it is we are able to live here, or how it is you come back with food every week, but I am no child."

"Are you sure?" Altair cracked a smile, the scar on his lips whitening at the pressure.

"Do you know who it is?" Ezio avoided the insult.

The smile was gone from Altair's face, and he sighed. "Do not look a gift horse in the mouth, Ezio. Just be grateful that someone is looking out for us."

"But I would-"

Before the words could leave his mouth, there were more footsteps and three small children burst through the opening into the kitchen. One boy with dark tan skin ran up to the table, hopping up onto the chair and grabbing the plastic of the bags anxiously. "What did you get, Altair?" He asked, peeking into the bag.

Almost instantly, another child, a girl this time, with very dark skin and black hair climbed up onto the chair with the boy, reaching across to grab the same plastic handle that the boy was grabbing onto. "Let me see, Connor!" She said, nearly clambering onto the table.

Ezio folded his arms, and frowned at the two as they continued to vie to see all the things Altair had brought back. "Connor, Aveline, please get off the table."

The boy, Connor, leaned back onto the chair, and frowned having thoroughly searched the contents of the bags. "You only brought back boring things."

Altair smirked a little at that, and leaned forwards. "I brought what we needed."

"I know, that's what I said."

Aveline looked up at Altair, and sighed. "You didn't get _anything _good?"

Altair shook his head and then leaned down, grabbing hold of the canister of soda and hauling it up onto the table. Both Connor and Aveline's eyes lit up, and instantly they grabbed at it, tearing away at the cardboard. Connor dug his hands into it, and pulled two of the cans from their confines, and Altair frowned. "You can have one." He held up one finger to drive his point across.

Connor nodded and jumped off his chair, holding one of his cans out to Aveline. "Come on, Aveline. Lets go outside."

The two darted from the room, like bullets shot from a cannon, and Ezio jumped up to follow. "Don't go climbing every tree you see-!" The door slammed, and Ezio dropped his hand. "I don't know why I bother. I am starting to sound like their mother."

Altair smiled at the thought and shook his head. As he began to lean back to relax, he felt a small hand curl around the fabric of his pants and he looked down at the youngest of their 'family'. "Oh. Good morning, Desmond." He smiled, and reached down to pick the four-year-old boy up into his lap.

The boy turned around in Altair's grip, and pointed at the large container of soda. "Can I have one too, Altair?"

Altair frowned and looked up at Ezio, who shrugged as if to say: "Hey, if you want to deal with a caffeinated four-year-old all afternoon, be it on your head."

Altair grimaced at the thought, and then looked down at Desmond. "You can have one with lunch, Desmond."

"Promise?" The boy glanced back at him.

"Of course." He nodded. He looked up at Ezio and put his hands under Desmond's arms, lifting him up slightly. "Why don't you go outside with Ezio? You can help him keep an eye on Connor and Aveline."

Ezio walked over and picked Desmond up, and set him on the ground before taking his hand. He looked Altair up and down, and frowned. "What time did you wake up this morning?"

"Early."

"You shouldn't push yourself so hard."

"I'll push myself as hard as I need to."

"Then, at least go take a nap or something." Ezio tilted his head a little to the side and Altair chuckled as he stood.

"Believe me, I intend to." He stretched, and followed Ezio and Desmond to the opening to the hallway. They both turned to head out the door, and Altair watched as Ezio sat Desmond down to fasten his shoes, and then turned around again and walked back into the house. At the end of the hall there were a three doors, and Altair turned the one to the left of him, and with a few difficult twists of the door knob, pushed his way inside. The room was completely barren except for five twin sized mattresses, all sprawled out haphazardly along the floor. There were some ratted pillows and even worse were the state of the blankets, but Altair was unperturbed as he took a few steps towards the mattress closest to the door, and flopped down on it, face first. He sighed as he pressed his face into the pillow, which smelled of sweat and salt, and turned his head slightly.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the envelope that had previously held the money he had spent, not even an hour ago, and examined it. As usual, no name, no return address… no writing of any sort. The money came like clockwork, and Altair was by no means ungrateful for it, but he couldn't say he wasn't curious about who it came from. He turned his head back into the pillow and closed his eyes again, dropping the envelope.

It was a mystery for another time.


	2. Altair and Ezio

Altair had met Ezio when he was twelve years old. He had managed to make himself at home underneath a highway overpass, hidden from view from prying eyes or more importantly, concerned adults. It wasn't much of a home, though mostly, he was alright with that, as Altair didn't mind being secluded from the rest of the world. So when he heard yelling and screaming coming from a little ways away from his makeshift camp, he had half a mind to roll over and ignore it. However, paying no attention to the brawl did not seem to be in the cards for Altair, as the yelling and hollering continued to draw closer. He sat up, and turned around rubbing his nose across the back of his filthy jacket.

As he pulled himself up, a boy dropped down from one of the pipes on the overhang, and scrambled to his feet, before attempting to dart under the overpass. The kid couldn't have been any older than he was, and was almost just as dirty, though his face was slightly more bloodied and punched than Altair's. As the boy darted across the dirt, three other boys rounded the corner from the other side, cutting off the beaten boy's escape route. None of them had noticed Altair so far, so he stayed quiet, watching the scene unfold.

The dirty and beaten boy took a few steps backwards, holding up his hands as if he was trying to pacify the other boys. "Just leave me alone, Vieri."

"Maybe I don't want to." One of the boys, the one who appeared to be the ringleader, took a few steps forwards. He was clearly from some well-to-do family, judging by just how clean and how fancy his clothes were. He smirked, and kept walking forwards, and Altair nearly snorted at the image of a boy who couldn't have been older than ten pretending to be threatening. "You know everyone back home hates you. My dad says the only reason we keep you around is because you're a paycheck from the government."

At that, the dirty boy glared, narrowing his eyes and curling his fists. He lunged forwards with an angry cry, and Altair winced and held a hand out in some subconscious effort to stop him. The three boys overpowered him easily, pinning him down to the ground, shoving his face into the dirt. The clean well-kept boy, Vieri as he had been called, walked over, and put his well-polished boot on top of the beaten boy's head. He then raised it and brought his shin back, as if to deliver a swift kick to the boy's temple, when Altair finally decided he'd seen quite enough.

"Cut it out!" He yelled, standing up straight and beginning to slowly make his way down the slope he'd been sitting on. The boy looked up, clearly startled by Altair's presence, which didn't surprise Altair all that much. He had always had a talent for blending in and being unnoticed.

"Who the hell are you?" Vieri snarled, putting his hands to his hips.

"I'm the guy who's going to kick your ass if you don't cut it out."

"You are?" The boy snorted. "Get lost! This isn't any of your business!"

Altair reached deep into the pocket of his jacket, and pulled out a fairly large switch blade. He flipped it nonchalantly and then pointed it at Vieri. "You really want to mess with some street kid with a knife?"

Vieri took a step backwards, his eyes widening in fear. "You wouldn't..."

"Try me."

"F-fine. Whatever." He looked to the two boys who kept the other boy pinned beneath him and nodded. They stood up and backed away towards Vieri who continued to back up, looking more than a little cowed. "Not worth it anyways. I'll get him later."

Altair twirled the knife idly in his hands, and Vieri turned tail faster than he could blink, and took off. He snickered and flipped the knife shut, and then looked down at the boy who was pulling himself up out of the dirt, wiping some of the blood and mud from his face.

"Thanks…" He mumbled.

Altair shrugged and turned around, before hiking back up to his makeshift campsite. The boy looked on after him for what felt like forever, before walking up to him, continuing to wipe at his face. "My name's Ezio." He said, holding out his hand. Altair stared at it for a few minutes before lowering his eyes and turning away, and shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Altair."

"Weird name."

"Says Ezio."

Ezio gave him a sideways grin, and then pointed off in the direction that Vieri had run in. "That was my foster-brother, Vieri. He's a real pain in the ass."

"Yeah, he seemed like a real charming guy." Altair snorted, and reached up, nervously tugging his beanie down around his eyebrows. He then looked back up at Ezio, and leaned back onto his hands. "So what, are you some sort of run away foster kid?"

"No!"

Altair raised an eyebrow, and stared up at him. "You are, aren't you?"

Ezio kicked at the dirt, angrily. "Yeah. My parents got arrested a while ago, and my brothers and sisters and me got put into the foster system. We got split up and haven't seen each other since. I got dumped with the Pazzi's. They're terrible."

"So you're running away?"

"Hey, you would have too!"

"Probably."

"Huh?" Ezio frowned tilting his head.

"I'm in a similar boat." Altair turned his head, and leaned back into the stone and gravel that lined the edges of the overpass. "My dad was killed in an accident a while ago, and I was put into a boarding school," He fiddled with a rock between his forefinger and thumb. "It was okay, I guess… as far as boarding schools go."

"But you ran away?"

"Yeah."

"Great!" Ezio said, sitting down beside him, making himself comfortable against the gravel. "We can run away together."

"Huh?" Altair sat up, furrowing his brow. "What do you mean, together?"

"I mean together, you doofus." He stood up. "Come on, I'll help you pack!"

"Pack? I'm not going anywhere with you!"

"Well are you just going to stay here and wait for Vieri to come back with his dad, looking for the kid who pulled a knife on him?"

Altair frowned. He honestly hadn't thought of that. He sighed and pushed himself up into a sitting position, before leaning onto his knees. "How old are you?"

"Huh? Ten. Why?"

"Because I don't want to be babysitting, that's why." Altair said, pulling himself into a standing position. "If you're going to come with me, you have to be able to take care of yourself."

Ezio looked so offended, Altair thought he might get slapped for a moment, and the younger boy folded his arms haughtily. "Oh I can take care of myself, just fine!" He snapped, turning his head. "I'll bet I could even teach you a thing or two."

"Uh huh, I'm sure." Altair reached down and grabbed a green army duffle bag, and tossed it in Ezio's direction. "You said you would help me pack, so help me pack."

Ezio made a face, but sighed and leaned down to start collecting Altair's things. Altair wasn't exactly pleased with being ousted from his home so suddenly, but he supposed he didn't exactly have a choice in the matter. After all, if the police came looking over here, it would create more than a few complications, and if he was lucky he would be shoved back into the boarding school he had escaped. If he was unlucky, they'd just lock him in Juvenile Detention and be done with him. "Hey, what's this?" Altair turned his head and saw Ezio holding a red leather-bound journal, with a large black symbol that slightly resembled an A on the front.

Altair stood up and walked over, and took it from him. "It was my father's." He pried open the brass clasp and flipped through the blank pages. "I don't really know what he was going to use it for, but its all I have of him."

"I'm sorry." Ezio frowned.

Altair shrugged and reached over for the duffle bag that Ezio had slung over his shoulder, and stuffed the book into it. "I never really knew him that well anyways. He was always working."

"That symbol on the front." Ezio leaned over to peer at it through the small opening. "It looks kind of familiar. I think I've seen it before."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Weird, huh? I'm not sure where…"

Altair wiped his nose along the sleeve of his jacket again, as he sniffed. Ezio continued to concentrate, staring down at the notebook. Finally Altair cleared his throat and reached down, picking up a bottle filled with water and shoved it into Ezio's hands. "You said your parents got arrested?"

Ezio startled a bit at being addressed and then knelt next to Altair to pick up some other bottles and cans of unopened food. "Yeah, a couple of years ago. The police just came by one day, and took them away." He said, his eyes narrowing into a glare. "They wouldn't tell us what they were arresting them for, or if we'd ever see them again, and I haven't heard anything about them since. And after that, they split up me, Federico, Petruccio and Claudia and took us to different foster houses." He sighed heavily, examining a canister of soup. "I hope they're doing better than I am."

The words left a heavy silence in the air as Altair cleaned up the last of his belongings from the ground. He stared down at the ground, and then looked back up at the younger boy who continued to stare forlornly at the canned goods in his hands. Altair reached forwards and took the can from his hands, and put it into the duffle and then pulled the bag from Ezio's shoulder and slung it over his own. "Maybe you should look for them." He suggested, shrugging.

"You think?"

"Sure." He said, pulling it around his head to keep the bag pulled over his hip. "If you've got family, you should find them."

"Wow." Ezio beamed, leaning over. "I barely just met you, and you're already offering to help me find my brothers and sister? You're the greatest, Altair!" He said, bringing his hand around to clap him on the shoulder. "Now come on! Lets get moving!"

Altair stumbled a little bit, and looked up, gaping. "Now, wait a second! I never said that I'd…"

"Come on, Alty! We're burning daylight!"

A crimson hue crept over Altair's cheeks at that, and he darted forwards, clinging to the strap over his shoulder. "Don't call me that!" He ran after Ezio who had started to run from the overpass, laughing and waving back at him.

That had been three years ago now. Altair was fifteen and Ezio thirteen and over the years the two had grown close, like brothers. Though Ezio was still strictly forbidden from calling him 'Alty', and knew the consequences, should he ever choose to indulge in that nickname ever again.


	3. Connor and Aveline

The year that Altair turned thirteen was the year that everything changed. More specifically, it was the year he met Connor and Aveline. It had been Ezio's idea to visit a homeless shelter, though Altair had wildly protested the idea. He had always avoided homeless shelters and soup kitchens as best he could, seeing as a young teenaged boy wandering around one by himself tended to attract attention. Social workers were called, sometimes even the police, and Altair had found himself beating a hasty retreat from one, more often than not.

Still, it was the dead of January, and there was no train station, or subway for them to take refuge in for miles, so Altair had reluctantly consented. He had to admit that Ezio had not been a bad traveling companion for the past year that he had known him, and had even been more than a little helpful over the months. The boy had a way with words, and was extremely clever for his age. He seemed to be rather used to using his wits to get out of sticky situations that Altair would have not been able to get himself out of easily on his own.

So despite his reservations, Altair walked side by side with Ezio, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jacket, and the hood pulled up tightly over his head and his beanie pulled down around his ears. Ezio had his arms braced up against his chest, and was shivering into a ratted red scarf that he kept pulled over his face. Altair glanced sideways at him, and slowly removed his hand from his pocket and reached over, grabbing the hood of Ezio's jacket and pulling it up over his head. "You would be warmer, if you wore your hood, idiot."

Ezio began to unwrap his arms from his chest and reach up to grab it, but a gust of wind deterred him, and he pushed his hands back up against his underarms. "But I can't see where I'm going with it up!" He said, craning his head, to peer out from under the hood.

Altair rolled his eyes and stared straight ahead again. "Stop whining." His teeth chattered. "Are we almost there?"

"I think so…" Ezio shuddered and continued to peer up through his hood. "I know I saw it around here somewhere… Oh! Look! There! Down the street!" He took up a quicker pace, and Altair jogged to catch up. He lifted his head as they neared their destination, and then ground his heels into the pavement and peeled his hands from the warmth of his jacket. He grabbed Ezio and yanked him backwards, and the boy cried out, stumbling. His hand was extended, reaching for the door to the shelter, but he had just barely fallen short when Altair had caught him. "What gives?"

"Cops." Altair turned his head, motioning to the police car that was parked only a few feet away from the shelter doors.

"So?" Ezio turned around, holding his hands to his face and rubbing his fingers together, while blowing on them. "You don't know they're in the shelter. Besides, its not like we're wanted."

"Yeah, but they're going to ask questions. Like where our parents are."

"You don't know they're in the shelter, Altair." Ezio folded his arms, glaring, stubbornly. And as the words left his mouth, the door to the shelter slammed open, and two children ran past them, darting out into the cold. A small boy with dark brown braided hair, clutching the hand of a dark skinned girl with long black hair, both wearing dirtied clothes and torn up shoes. As Altair and Ezio watched them continue to run, the door was pushed open yet again, and two police officers tore from the shelter in hot pursuit of the two children. Ezio's jaw hung open slightly as Altair turned to look at him. "Okay, but they're not in the shelter NOW."

Altair shook his head and turned back towards the door of the shelter, as he reached for it however, Ezio reached up and grabbed his shoulder. He turned around to see his friend staring idly at the police car, which was slowly beginning to collect soggy patches of half melted ice on the windshield. "What?" Altair frowned, and Ezio did not turn away.

"Are you sure that's a police car?"

"Sure. It says Police on it, doesn't it?" Altair turned around, holding his hand to his forehead to shield his eyes from the onslaught of ice and snow that continued to detail each gust of wind. "Why are you so interested?"

Ezio tilted his head, a little to the side and continued to stare at the police car, before raising a hand to his lips. "I recognize that symbol on the side, is all."

"Not to be a jerk, or anything… but weren't your parents arrested?"

Ezio's eyes widened. "That's right! The officers that came in were wearing that symbol!" He frowned and folded his arms. "Its not on most police cars, right?"

Altair finally turned to look at the car and saw just what symbol Ezio was talking about. On the door, next to the word 'police' were three white lines arranged next to one another in a triangular shape, and beneath that in small white print were two words Altair had to edge a little closer to be able to read. "Abstergo Industries? That's weird. I thought they were a medicine company."

"This whole thing sort of rubs me the wrong way, Altair."

Altair stood up and shoved his hands in his pockets, looking back in the direction the kids and officers had run off in. "Yeah. Me too." He sighed and shook his head. "Lets go inside."

"Yeah… okay." Ezio nodded and the two of them retreated into the warmth of the large building. The sun was beginning to set and there was no time to worry about things like strange symbols, and children who weren't really any of their business.

* * *

The days came and went, and despite his original reservations about the place, the homeless shelter had actually been a greater boon than a burden to them. There had been a couple of nights where sleeping outside would have served only to get them killed. However, Altair wasn't looking to make a habit out of it. During the day, he and Ezio wandered the streets, frequently dropping in stores mostly to escape the cold, but Ezio took advantage of the situation to describe his siblings to cashiers and owners, to see if they'd been spotted anywhere near by.

The past year, he had somehow or another been roped into helping Ezio find his lost brothers and sister. However, they had no system or resources to do such a thing and most of their searching was comprised of wandering from city to city, just asking around if anyone knew anyone with the last name Auditore. Altair had long since realized it was a lost cause, and there was almost no chance of finding Ezio's lost siblings. However he had largely kept his mouth shut about it, and allowed Ezio to continue to ask around, and search as best as an eleven year old boy could. The transient lifestyle they lead was helpful, and the guise of searching for the Auditore children gave them a certain motivation and reason to keep moving.

However, on this particular day, though neither of them knew it, everything was about to come to a grinding halt. He and Ezio had managed to secure a small entrance to a foreclosed storefront, and were huddled together against the back wall, trying to escape the ferocious wind chill. Altair pushed himself up against the glass door, which was lined with brown paper, and a metal gate from the inside.

"We should probably leave town tonight." He muttered into his coat collar.

"Yeah…" Ezio sighed heavily, tugging at his scarf. "Probably. What should we do?"

"Maybe we can scrounge up enough for a bus ticket." Altair huffed.

"A bus ticket? Those things can get pretty expensive." Ezio glanced over. "We're not going to wrack up that kind money from any wishing fountain. Besides, the last bus we tried to get required parental consent to get a ticket, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember." Altair let his head land against the glass he was leaning on with a thump. "Maybe we could hang around a gas station and catch a ride from someone with a semi. Or hop a freight train."

Ezio pushed himself up and away from the wall and leaned back into the cold wind and peered down the street. "I think I saw a gas station down that way." He nodded, as he was clearly not willing to remove his hands from his pockets and expose them to the cold. "How much cash do you have?"

"Not enough for a substantial bribe."

"We'll figure something out. We might as well go down there, though." Ezio took a deep breath as if he were about to plunge into a lake rather than step out on to the sidewalk. Altair stepped down after him, and the two of them began to wander through the frozen city streets, bracing themselves against the sleet and snow. They trekked onwards in silence, as talking wasted precious energy, and meant having to expose more of their faces to the harsh weather. Finally at the corner, a gas station came into view and Altair heaved a sigh of relief. He was starting to wonder just how many more winters he could possibly take. He and Ezio were paused only be a few street lights, but they finally made their way up to the frozen pumps, lined with cars and some large trucks were parked near the store front. Altair and Ezio both headed straight towards the small convenience store, ducking inside as quickly as they possibly could.

The inside of the store was small and poorly lit, with a few wooden racks containing magazines and candy bars, and a glass cased lined with cigarettes and tobacco. It smelled heavily of ammonia and bleach, and the floors were coated in a layer of dirt and grime, which was only cut through by the slush and melted snow that had blown in from the door. Still, the heating was not broken, so the two shivering boys could easily ignore every other discretion.

The only other patron of the gas station general store was a largely built, slightly over weight truck driver, who appeared to be having a slightly angry conversation with someone hidden behind one of the wooden racks containing magazines of a surprisingly vulgar sort. Altair was fully prepared to ignore him, and take complete advantage of the lack of security cameras and inattentive cashier and pocket as many candy bars and snacks as he possibly could, but Ezio for some reason, had other ideas. As Altair meandered idly along the wooden shelves, casually sliding granola bars and pop tarts up his sleeve, he saw Ezio peering around the corner, to get a glimpse at the man, and whomever his conversation partner was. As soon as he'd gotten a good look, Ezio reached over and grabbed Altair's jacket, and tugged, nearly causing Altair to spill his stolen goods onto the floor.

"What?" He hissed at his companion, grabbing at his elbows to keep his prizes where they were.

"Look! Its those kids! From the shelter!" Ezio whispered back, pointing towards the large man. Altair followed Ezio's finger, and sure enough, the boy and the girl from several days ago, who had been bolting away from two police officers last Altair had seen them, were standing in front of a man at least five times their size, looking put out. The boy was practically seething, and the girl remained at his side, with her hands stuck firmly to her hips.

"Huh." Altair frowned. "What do you know?" He then turned around, although Ezio continued to stare. Even though Altair had been prepared to put them from his mind entirely and focus on his thievery, all of a sudden, he found he could not help but hear the conversation happening a few feet away from him.

"Look, there's no way I'm taking two little kids with me halfway across the state. So just go on home, and bother your parents or something."

"It's not like we're going to take up space!" The boy argued, stamping his foot.

"Space isn't the point, kid! I don't want to get arrested for kidnapping!"

"You're not kidnapping us, we're asking you to take us."

"I'm not taking you with me, so just scram!"

Altair rolled his eyes and continued to line his pockets with enough food to last them at least a little while. The very idea of two little kids like that wandering around on their own was almost laughable. Altair had always looked a little older than he was, so he had been able to get by without too much attention, but even he would not have been able to get by being as young as those kids were. He snickered a little to himself, after finally being satisfied with what he had, and then turned to Ezio. Only Ezio was no longer beside him. Altair frowned and glanced around, looking for his friend and finally spotted him walking over to the two children and man. His jaw dropped as he took a step forwards, but Ezio was already too far ahead of him. He put one hand on the shoulders of the boy and girl, and looked down at them with his most winning smile.

"There you kids are! Did you find us a ride?" He asked, beaming like an idiot.

"What?" The man raised an eyebrow at Ezio and Altair felt his jaw go so slack he thought it might unhinge completely and clatter to the floor.

Ezio looked up at the man, and pulled the boy and the girl in close to them. "We're all traveling upstate together, sir. We're all brothers and this is our sister. We lost our parents a while ago, and we've got some family upstate we were going to stay with."

"Why don't they just come get you?" The man folded his arms, looking incredibly skeptical. "You all look a little young to be out here on your own."

"Well, we're traveling with our older brother." Ezio leaned back and pointed at Altair, who recoiled as if Ezio had aimed a gun at him rather than his finger. "He's older than he looks. But we haven't got a car, you see. And we hitch hike all the time anyhow. Its kind of a family tradition."

"It's a dangerous tradition."

"Yeah, but it just goes to show that we can take care of ourselves." Ezio grinned, and looked down at the boy and girl who were staring up at him, dumb struck. "Isn't that right?"

They nodded quietly, and Altair resisted the urge to slap a hand over his eyes, and cringe. He slowly made his way over to the man and the three other kids beside him and looked up at the man from under his hoodie. The man looked thoughtful, examining the group of rag tag boys and one little girl in front of him. He turned around, his eyes settling on a large moving truck, and he reached up to stroke his beard thoughtfully. Taking advantage of his thoughts being elsewhere, Altair leaned over to Ezio elbowing him hard in the side. "There is no way this is going to work." He hissed.

"Shh!" Ezio hissed back, and the man turned back to them, with his hands folded over his chest.

"Alright." He muttered after a moment. "I'll take you as far as Franklin, but that's it." With those words he turned around, and walked to the door.

Altair was certain his jaw would never snap back into its original position after that. "How do you do that, Ezio?"

"What can I say? I'm charming. People like trusting me." He shrugged. "Now come on, children, let's go hitch a ride." He patted the boy and the girl on the back, who were clearly just as dumbstruck as Altair was, and they looked up at him at nodded. Altair turned and glared at Ezio, folding his arms.

Ezio grinned and shrugged at him. "What? Its alright, isn't it? Its just till Franklin. Its not like we're keeping them!"

The four of them slowly followed the trucker out to the station as he opened up the back of the large moving semi, and held it open with one arm. The two kids clambered in first, needing slight assistance from Ezio, who was next to get in. Altair frowned at the furniture packed truck and sighed before climbing in himself. The door shut down around them, and trapped them all in total darkness, or rather what would have been total darkness if it hadn't been for the various holes, allowing for some light, and cold air to leak through. Altair found his way to the wall and slowly slid down along it into a sitting position.

"At least it's out of the wind!"

"Shut up Ezio." He mumbled, grabbing his knees. He could hear Ezio scoff to the side of him, although he could not see where he was exactly.

"Oh come on, we have a ride, and its relatively warm back here! What are you complaining about?"

Altair ignored him, and lifted his head, straining his eyes, as if the very action would allow him to become catlike and grant him better vision. "So what are your names?" He muttered as the truck rumbled to life and began to roll away from its stop.

"Us?" A voice spoke up from the darkness, the girl from the sound of it.

"Yes you."

"I'm Aveline, and this is Connor." She sounded polite enough, though Connor's grunt was nearly lost to the sound of the moving car.

"We didn't need any help."

"Of course, you were doing just fine." Altair rolled his eyes, though the act was lost through the darkness. He heard Ezio begin to shuffle around in his place.

"What are two kids as young as you doing out all on your own?"

"We're not kids."

"You're like, five." Altair allowed his voice to carry the sarcasm he usually reserved for facial features.

"We're seven."

"Oh my mistake."

"Altair, stop it." The sound of Ezio slapping his hand against a package he had clearly thought was Altair echoed through the trailer, and Altair snorted at him. "So are you running away? Where are your parents?"

"Dead." Connor spoke bluntly. "They died in a fire."

"Hm." Altair frowned at that. "What are the odds, of four orphans running into one another in the back of a moving truck?" He wondered aloud to himself.

"Hey, I'm not an orphan." Ezio protested.

"Three orphans and one runaway delinquent."

Whether or not the insult got to Ezio was lost on Altair in the darkness as they slowly fell back into silence. Eventually, though Ezio spoke up again. "You know, you two would probably be better off sticking with us. Two seven year old kids out on the streets is likely to draw attention."

"No." Altair spoke the word, and even surprised himself with just how harshly he said it. "No, once we get to Franklin they're on their own. Its hard enough moving with just the two of us, Ezio. We don't need two little kids weighing us down. I said it before, I'm no one's babysitter."

"Who says we want to go with you anyhow?" Connor snapped through the darkness, trying to sound just as harsh.

"You guys…" Ezio frowned, and Altair heard Aveline begin to sniffle quietly to herself.

"Well then it's settled." He grumbled. "Once we get to Franklin, we go our separate ways."

"Fine."

A bitter silence descended on the trailer. No one spoke, and no one moved, and that was just fine with Altair. He leaned his head up against the wall of the trailer and felt it move with the rhythm of the road. He closed his eyes, not that it made much of a difference, and allowed him self to drift half asleep, disturbed only by the occasional pothole, or whisper of 'its going to be okay' from Connor to Aveline. He turned his head away and lay down against the floor, and screwed his eyes shut as tightly as he could, and lost himself to sleep entirely.


	4. Desmond

Altair had known that Franklin was far away. However he hadn't realized it was hours worth of being enclosed in a darkened space with three other children, far away. So when the truck rolled to a stop, and the door opened with a loud creaking groan, Altair would have been lying if he had said he was anything other than relieved. He held up a hand to shield himself from the light that flooded through, and quietly pushed himself up into a standing position up against the wall of the trailer. He looked around, squinting through the sunlight, and saw Ezio slowly standing up looking dazed and disoriented as if he had just woken up. Connor and Aveline were pulling themselves up as well, smoothing down their rumbled clothes and rubbing at their eyes to try and ward off the offending sunlight.

Altair turned and walked over to the opening in the truck where the driver was standing, holding the door open with one hand. He sat down and swung his feet off the edge of the truck and slid down onto the ground. "When you said 'Franklin', I assumed you meant the one in the same state." He muttered.

"I did. It's a three hour drive up there, at least."

Altair turned to look up at him and put his hands on his hips. "There? Don't you mean… here?" He blinked and glanced around and noticed they were most definitely not in any city. They were sitting in a parking lot, right next to the highway and near a small brown building. "This isn't Franklin." Altair stated dumbly as Ezio came to the open door.

"What gives?" The younger boy asked, leaning up against the door.

"It's a rest stop. I gotta head in." The driver jerked a thumb at the building. "I figured you'd appreciate the chance to stretch your legs."

"Oh." Altair frowned and folded his arms. "Sure. Thanks."

The driver turned around and began to walk out to building and Altair watched him go before hauling himself back up on to the truck, and sitting down, kicking his feet out. Ezio slid down next to him, and Connor and Aveline approached the edge as well, though Connor remained standing. Ezio leaned over and smiled at the two, trying to look reassuring. "Hey, I'm sure we're almost there!"

Connor nodded, but Aveline continued to stare at the ground in thoughtful contemplation. Or at least that's what Altair had thought it was before she spoke. "I'm hungry."

Altair frowned as Connor slid down and sat next to her, taking her hand in his and giving it a reassuring squeeze. He grimaced as he felt a nagging sensation of guilt worming its way up through his gut. He looked over at Ezio, who just gave him a small remorseful grin.

"I'm hungry, too."

When he had dictated he hadn't wanted to be caught playing babysitter, he had thought he had been clear on that. Yet here he was, being burdened with the responsibility of making sure three kids got something to eat. Altair turned around and grabbed his duffle bag, before pulling it closer to him. He pulled the zipper down and pulled the cloth open before jumping down onto the ground and turning himself around to face the back of the truck. He set it down and pulled the side pocket open revealing his stash of stolen candy bars and chips. "Here." He said shoving towards the three of them, and folding his arms. "Take whatever."

He may as well have set down a trunk of gold and jewels in front of a band of pirates, and said 'have at it'. Connor and Aveline descended upon the bag of food like hyenas, grabbing at the food and ripping at the wrappers with frantic hands. Altair and Ezio stood back at a distance, watching slack jawed. Finally, the two children backed off, their fingers filled with granola bars and chocolate. Ezio took a few hesitant steps forwards and peered into the bag before taking a step back and whistling. "You haven't eaten in a while, huh?"

Connor looked up at the two, and swallowed with some difficulty. "Just a few days…"

Altair felt his stomach clench a little. "You haven't eaten in a few days?"

"Its not that bad." Connor wiped his mouth on the back of his sleeve. "Your stomach sort of turns off after a while, and you just forget you're hungry."

Altair remembered those days, from when he had first run away from the boarding school. It had seemed like a good idea, and he felt invincible, until the pains set into his stomach. More than once he had thought about going back, and on nights where he had gone very long stretches without eating anything, he was not ashamed to admit he had shed more than a few tears. Ezio turned around, and stared at him for a few minutes as if he was trying to decipher the look on Altair's face, or read his thoughts. He then turned back to the children, and walked over to pull himself up onto the truck. "So, don't you have any family anywhere?"

"No." Connor lowered his hands to his lap, and looked over. "I just had my mom." Aveline just shook her head, and continued to much away at a pop tart, silently staring at her feet, as she continued to kick them back and forth, idly. Connor looked over at her briefly, putting a hand on her shoulder, trying to be comforting.

Ezio frowned and tucked his knees under him. "So you ran away? Maybe the police could help you find someone to take care of you."

Connor looked up at Ezio, with a determined glare. "No."

"Why not?"

"My mom said not to trust the police." He said, looking over at Aveline, who continued to stare at her feet.

"There are bad people in the police."

"Bad people?" Altair folded his arms and took a few steps forwards. "What do you mean, bad people?"

"The people who took my mom away." Aveline looked up. "The people who work for the company with the triangle logo."

"Abstergo?" Altair raised his eyebrow. "That's right, I thought it was weird a police car had the Abstergo logo on it." He muttered, and subconsciously began to dig his nails into the fabric of his jacket. "I thought they were a medicine company…"

"You said that before too." Ezio looked over. "Why did you think that?"

Altair looked up quickly, and noticed all three of them were staring at him, expectantly. He scowled and lowered his head again, turning his eyes away. "A couple years ago, my dad and I were driving somewhere… when another car smashed into us." He lifted his beanie up, revealing a few scars on his head, and then raised his left hand to show where his ring finger was missing. "I got pretty lucky… but when I was in the hospital I remember seeing the Abstergo logo on all the medicine bottles, and on the nurse's name tags."

"Those are the bad people." Aveline stated, and Connor nodded.

"My mom told me to stay away from them. And to find someone who could help me." He reached back into his back pocket and pulled out a faded yellow slip of paper that looked like it had been folded over a couple of times. He slowly unfolded it and revealed it was a map, though it looked fairly old. Altair walked over to the two children, and looked down to examine it, and Connor raised his hand and pointed to the top corner. "She told me to find this place."

Altair followed Connor's finger, and his eyes widened at what it was pointing to. Ezio leaned over and the shock was just as visible on his face as well. "Altair…" He whispered. "Isn't that the same symbol on your dad's journal?"

"What?" Connor blinked looking up at him.

Altair said nothing, only swallowed heavily and walked over to his duffle bag. He pulled it open and plunged his arm deep into the bag, fishing around inside it for what felt like an eternity. Finally his fingers closed around his father's journal and he pulled it out and held it up in front of his face. He looked down at the map again and then lowered the journal slowly, holding them side-by-side. Indeed it was the exact same symbol written on the map's surface. Connor looked up at him, his eyes wide and Aveline's fingers entwined around his shirt collar so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. Ezio crawled over and looked at the two symbols, and whistled.

"That's really weird."

"It's not weird." Altair snapped.

"It isn't?"

Altair turned to look at the three kids who were all staring up at him, confusion heavy in their features and he sighed. "Four kids connected by the exact same symbol, who have all had a run in with this Abstergo Company, just happen to run into each other after losing their parents?" He held up his journal. "There is no way that's a coincidence. Something is going on here, and I intend to find out what."

"What does that mean?" Aveline asked, staring up at him.

"It means, once we get to Franklin, we're sticking together a while longer."

* * *

If the ride before had seemed to drag on and on, it had gone far too quickly once the children had all piled back into the truck and they had taken off again. Even though they spent the remainder of the trip in absolute contemplative silence, it felt like they had only been driving for a few minutes before the truck pulled to a stop again. Altair had clung to his father's journal through the entire trip, absently tracing his finger along the black indent of the symbol on the front. When the door opened again, he was greeted with light once more, but it was far less harsh this time, as the sun had gone down significantly lower into the sky, and dusk was beginning to set in. Altair looked around him at his traveling companions and slowly removed himself from the truck, swinging his legs over the edge and sliding down to the ground. Ezio followed him, silently, and the two looked back into the truck as Aveline and Connor slowly emerged as well, grabbing onto the edge of the truck and lowering themselves slowly onto the floor.

Altair turned and looked up at the driver, and gave him a small slanted grin. "Thanks, sir." He mumbled and Ezio looked up from behind him.

"Yeah, thanks a lot. You really helped us out."

"Sure. You kids just get to your family's house before dark. And no more hitch hiking, alright?"

"Yes sir." Altair nodded, and looked back at his traveling companions before looking over at the driver one more time and furrowing his brow. He thought briefly on what he had seen on the map that Connor had showed him and willed himself to remember just what street he had seen the symbol on. "Can you tell us how to get to Victorian Drive?" He said folding his arms. "Is it far from here?"

"I'm afraid I don't know where that is."

"What street are we on now, then?"

"Karl Road."

"Okay." Altair looked down at Connor and motioned for him to hand him the map. "Thanks, we'll find it from here."

The driver shrugged as the young boy very hesitantly relinquished the map into Altair's hands. Altair took it and watched the truck driver make his way back into his semi, and then shielded his face as a cloud of exhaust went up around them and the truck roared away from them, leaving the three children standing in the nearly abandoned parking lot of a seedy looking hardware store. Altair unfolded the map, and looked down, his eyes landing on the symbol instantly. He placed his finger on it, and then began to move it down, scanning the name of each road as he did so. Ezio leaned over his shoulder, taking his arm to try and get a look at it.

"Is it far?"

Altair's scowl only became more pronounced as he folded the paper and handed it to Connor who pocketed it quickly. "We've got some walking to do." He muttered, shivering as a gust of wind blew past them. "Let's get going."

Connor and Aveline exchanged a look, and then Aveline reached over, taking Connor's hand in her own, and he looked up at Altair with an approving nod. Altair nodded back at him and then turned, so his back was to the wind and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"This way."

The four of them walked along, trudging through the small amounts of snow that had managed to dust the ground, and carefully avoiding the patches of ice that lay littered among the sidewalks like a slippery minefield. The streets were small and rural looking, and most of the stores looked like they had once been houses. Though as they trekked across the blocks, the buildings slowly became slightly more industrial looking, and as they did, they also became more and more run down and shady looking. The houses that they passed had boarded up windows and were sprayed with graffiti and each lawn was lined with chained fences.

Altair remained largely unperturbed by the sights, having seen his fair share of bad neighborhoods, and Ezio was practically whistling. In the year he had known Ezio he had seen him upset, or disturbed by something maybe twice. These things clearly did not apply to the two children they found themselves walking with, however. Aveline was gripping her own hands so tightly and shivering so much she could barely even keep up a good pace, and Altair found himself nearly tripping on her, more than once. Connor on the other hand was at least pretending to put up a brave front, though Altair could see he was a little shaken up as well.

"Are you scared?" He asked, looking down at the children who continued to walk ahead of them. They both looked back at him, and Altair suddenly found himself wishing he hadn't asked.

"No!" Aveline frowned. "I'm just cold."

"Me too." Connor huffed.

Altair held up his hands as a symbol of surrender. "Alright, alright, sorry." He looked down and watched them continue to walk, through the streets as they became more and more dilapidated by the second. Altair was beginning to wonder if they kept walking if they'd eventually find a lost civilization or ruins. The sun was getting lower and lower in the sky, and the temperature was falling just as quickly, but still he saw no sign of Victorian Drive. Signs of any living accommodations were slowly vanishing as well, being replaced with factories and warehouses, and Altair found himself slightly more on edge than usual. In all honesty he was nervous. This whole thing was a little too crazy for him to buy. It was all conspiracy and treachery and the sort of thing you read about in stories. Still, he was going to find answers even if it killed him. And as they continued to walk, that option was starting to seem more and more likely.

"Altair."

He looked up sharply at the mention of his name and saw Ezio had stopped walking, and so had Connor and Aveline. He frowned at the trio and readjusted his hands in his pockets. "What?"

"We're here." Ezio pointed upwards, and Altair followed his finger. A green street sign, covered in moss and vines sat on a lonely pole. Though some of the foliage, Altair was barely able to read the words 'Victorian Drive.' Not that there was anything about the place that could be called Victorian. Altair looked down and found himself face to face with a large abandoned warehouse, with faded dull blue-grey walls, and peeling paint. The windows were boarded shut, and there were rusted chains on almost every door, except one heavy looking one in front of them which read: "Employee Entrance Only."

"Are you sure this is it?" Connor looked up at him, looking rather nervous.

Altair glanced around him, and then looked down at his feet. "Look, tire tracks." He pointed down. "Someone was just here… probably a few hours ago." He muttered.

"Several someones." Ezio spoke up, walking over. "There are a lot of tracks over here too… Maybe its just a warehouse and people just went home from work."

"From work? Here?" Altair motioned to it. "Look at this place." He slowly began to make his way towards it, and Ezio followed. Connor and Aveline hung back.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Connor called again.

Altair walked up to the door with the employee's entrance sign and leaned down, to touch the doorknob. He wrapped his fingers around it, and as he did he felt slight grooves in the metal. He looked down at it, pulling his hand away and leaning down to get a better look. And sure enough, there it was. The same symbol.

"I'm sure." He said, standing up and looking back at Connor and Aveline. "Come on, quick. Before someone sees us." He jerked a thumb at the door, and the two children rushed over to meet him. "It's probably locked," he muttered, and looked down at the children. "so we should find something to pry it open with-"

As the words left his mouth, Ezio smoothly reached over him and pushed his hand up against the door, and much to Altair's surprise, it swung open with incredible ease. The doorframe was splintered and broken, and the door creaked as it swung into the darkness of the warehouse.

"Or… that."

"It looks like someone else broke in here." Ezio walked into the building, putting his hands to his hips, and fearlessly taking a glance around. Connor took a deep breath and very slowly followed him in leaving Altair and Aveline standing out alone. Altair looked down at her, and she glanced up at him in return. Very slowly she reached up and took two of his fingers in her hand and smiled.

"Don't be scared."

Altair startled a little at her words, and then flushed indignantly. He huffed and walked inside, but he did not pull his hand away from hers. He could see instantly that Ezio was right. It did look like someone else had broken in before them as the place was completely ransacked. Crates and tables were overturned, and broken glass lined the floors, with splintered pieces of chairs. "This couldn't have happened more than a few hours ago." Altair looked down at a glass jar that was shattered on the floor in a mixture of broken glass and what he assumed was jam. "This definitely isn't more than a day old."

"So the people who did this could still be here?" Connor asked, turning around, his eyes darting around nervously.

"I doubt it." Altair shook his head. "We'd know if they were."

Ezio continued to walk further into the warehouse, looking under boxes and turning around corners, to examine things closer. Altair kept a slower pace with Connor and Aveline, looking around, keeping his eyes peeled for anything that had to do with the symbol. As they searched, he felt his heart begin to sink. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but had certainly not been an abandoned and ransacked warehouse. As he began to let out a sigh of disappointment however, Aveline let out a blood-curdling scream.

Altair nearly jumped a foot in the air and looked down at the little girl, who continued to cling to him. She was grabbing onto him and backed up against his leg, as she stared on in horror. Slowly he lifted his head, following her gaze. His eyes moved along the floor, until they settled on the body of a man. Lying in a pool of his own blood.

He reacted instantly, grabbing Aveline and turning her around and holding her tightly against him, pushing her face into his stomach. She wrapped her arms around him obligingly, and he turned to hold a hand over Connor's eyes, as he turned. "Don't look!" He ordered.

Connor jumped, clearly startled, but slowly raised his hands to his face to cover his eyes anyhow. Ezio was leaping over broken tables and smashed glass, to run over to them. He slowed to a stop, and looked over at the man before quickly holding a hand over his mouth and nose. "Oh my god!"

"Is he dead…?" Aveline spoke, shuddering into Altair's jacket.

"Yeah…" Altair swallowed heavily. "Yeah I think he is…"

"Holy shit, Altair!" Ezio reached up, grabbing at his hair. "That's a dead body! That's a dead person!"

"I see what it is, Ezio!" Altair snapped. "Just stop panicking!"

"Stop panicking?! That's a corpse!"

"Shut up!" He glared. "I get it, okay! Look, we'll get out of here, and call the police—"

"No!" Aveline looked up at him suddenly. "We can't go to the police!"

"Well we can't just do nothing!" Altair glared down at her, reaching up to run a hand over his forehead,

"But the police are-"

"Hey!"

Altair, Ezio and Aveline all turned to Connor, who had turned around and was standing with his head craned to one side. "What?"

"Is someone crying?" The boy turned around, frowning deeply.

A quiet hush fell over the group as they all strained their ears to hear. Altair practically had to hold his breath before he heard it. There was indeed the sound of someone crying, and it sounded very close. Altair raised his head and looked over at Ezio, who looked back to him in turn before turning around and raising a hand to his mouth and yelling. "Is someone here?"

The crying stopped almost instantly, and all three children exchanged glances, the dead body nearly forgotten. Connor licked his lips nervously before holding his hand up and pointing to behind Altair, where the dead man lay. "I think it was coming from over there."

Altair slowly pulled Aveline from him, pushing her towards Ezio, whom she grabbed onto instantly. He turned around and squinted into the darkness past the dead man on the floor, and saw a small unassuming closet door. He swallowed heavily, and looked back at the group behind him before taking a few hesitant steps forwards. He picked his feet up carefully, stepping over the man with deliberate and cautious steps.

"Careful…" Ezio whispered.

"I know." Altair spoke through gritted teeth, navigating his way around the cadaver. He warily headed towards the closet door, which was blocked with the debris of several heavy crates. He knelt beside them and shifted all of his weight against them, slowly and noisily moving them out of the way. Once the doorway was cleared, he stood up straight once again, and took hold of the doorknob and turned it. To his surprise it opened with a click, and he pulled the door open revealing a very small room, stacked with metal wire shelves, which were lined with cleaning equipment and boxes full of trash bags. However, on the floor of the closet, was the small quivering frame of a young boy, who couldn't have been older than two.

Altair stared down at the child for a full minute before the boy lifted his tear stained face to him. He slowly lowered himself to his knees, and quietly examined the boy who continued to stare at him through red and puffy eyelids. Very slowly, and cautiously, Altair extended his hand to the boy, who recoiled violently, shoving himself up against the metal shelves and crying out. Altair gasped in shock and leaned forwards, onto his hands and knees, reaching out again.

"Hey! Its okay! Its okay, I'm not here to hurt you!" He spoke in what he hoped was a calming voice. "It's okay… My name is Altair." He held his hand out again. "Come on, come here."

The boy looked down at his head nervously, and slowly began to remove himself from the wall, and crawled over to Altair with an agonizingly slow pace. Altair reached down, taking the boy under the arms and lifting him up while rocking back onto his knees. He set the boy down on his leg, and looked him up and down, before his eyes settled on a glinting silver object around his neck. He reached up and took the small silver pendant that hung on a chain, and pulled it out from the boy's shirt, as the boy started to wipe at his face, sniffing as he did so.

Altair's eyes widened as he fully brought the pendant into view, and found himself holding the same insignia that had been on his father's journal, and Connor's map. "You've gotta be kidding me…" He muttered turning the pendant over in his fingers. On the back of it, along one of the lines of the symbol was a small engraving that Altair had to lean in and squint to see. Upon closer inspection he was barely able to make out the word, and he leaned back. "Desmond… Huh? Your name is Desmond?" He looked down at the boy he still held on his lap,

The boy nodded and wiped his nose again, fresh tears brimming in his eyes. Altair felt his heart tighten in his chest, as he cleared his throat and stood up, lifting Desmond with him.

"Well don't worry, Desmond. We're here to help. We'll get you out of here." He reached up and pushed Desmond's face into his shoulder. "But you can't look, okay? Keep your eyes closed."

Desmond nodded into his shoulder, and Altair turned around, to face the other three children who were still lined up behind him. He slowly left the closet, and as quietly and respectfully as he could stepped back over the dead body. He walked over to his other companions, and heaved a deep breath, as Desmond clung to his shoulder, shaking with some tears beginning to stain Altair's jacket.

Ezio frowned at him, and took a step closer. "This is way too deep, Altair…" He muttered, looking at the kid.

"We're not in that deep, Ezio." Altair scowled. "I can still think of something."

As if the world simply heard him speak the words, and decided it was determined to prove him wrong, the second he finished speaking, Altair became painfully aware of the sound of sirens blaring just outside the warehouse door, and flashing red and blue lights pouring in through the boarded up windows. He gulped audibly, and looked over at Ezio who was staring at him in unadulterated horror. He sighed, and shifted Desmond in his grip.

"Okay. NOW we're in too deep."


	5. The Benefactor

The moments that followed could only be described as sheer uncensored panic. Everyone seemed to be having their own version of a mental breakdown, and it was beginning to manifest it self in loud and physical ways. Ezio had begun pacing, and was repeating the words 'oh my god', to himself over and over again, like some sort of mantra. Aveline and Connor had both grabbed a hold of a corner of Altair's jacket, and had begun pulling, trying to explain to him that they had to go, that they could under no circumstances trust the police. And all the while this was going on, Desmond had taken up squirming and crying in Altair's grip, nearly wailing into the thirteen-year-old's ear. Meanwhile, Altair was starting to develop a twitch in his right eye.

"Alright!" He spoke just loud enough to be heard over everyone else. "Everybody shut up! Don't move, don't think, don't breathe!" He pulled Desmond away from him, and then shifted him to his other arm, holding him close again. Everyone fell silent, almost instantly, and Altair realized all eyes were on him. He looked down at Aveline and Connor and then turned to Ezio, who locked eyes with him, fear and panic still fresh in his features.

"Altair…" He spoke softly, and slowly. "Altair, what do we do?"

Altair swallowed heavily and looked up, as the red and blue lights continued to pour through the boarded windows, and the sound of footsteps and voices outside grew louder. He looked down again, his mind racing frantically. Finally his head snapped up towards Ezio, as he made his decision. "We hide. And when we can, we run."

"What?" Ezio's eyes widened. "Are you joking? Those are the police, out there!" He pointed towards the door, dropping his voice to a dangerous whisper. "There's a dead man on the floor, and there was a kid locked in the closet, and you want to run away?!"

"The police are—" Aveline began, grabbing hold of Altair's jacket again.

"Bad! We know!" Ezio hissed. "But this isn't… this is too messed up."

"Ezio." Altair took a step forward. "Think about this." He reached into his bag, and pulled out the journal, holding it up to show the symbol to his friend. "Everyone associated with this symbol is either dead or missing. Something big is going on here, and we've stumbled right into the middle of it." He pushed the journal back into its fold, and put his hand back on the back of Desmond's head, keeping the child's eyes safely away from anything too upsetting. The last thing he needed was a screaming two year old on his hands.

Ezio just stared at him, and his eyes flickered to the man who lay dead on the floor. He turned back to Altair, his face turning red and his eyes beginning to water. "We… we can't be fugitives, Altair." He whispered. "We're just kids."

Altair walked over to him. "We'll figure it out."

"How?"

Altair had absolutely no time to figure out 'how', because barely two seconds after the question had been posed to him, the two double doors that lay towards the front of the ware house on the opposite side that they had come in from, were kicked in with a loud and startling bang. All four children, Desmond excluded as Altair kept the boy's face pushed deep into his shoulder, turned to look as ten policemen filled the doorway, holding incredibly bright flashlights in one hand, and large gleaming guns in the other.

"Don't move!" One shouted, aiming his flashlight up and Altair had to turn his face and squint his eyes shut, as the light burned at his retinas. When the light finally passed from his eyes he glanced back up, blinking and trying to get a good look at the policemen, while his eyes continued to adjust. Once his pupils had readjusted, and he could see again, he looked the men over, scanning them up and down though he had no idea what it was he was looking for. At least, not until he saw it. There on their arms, plain as day, was the Abstergo symbol.

"Who are you kids?" Another asked, walking forwards a little bit. "Answer me, what are your names?" He demanded, keeping his gun trained on the group.

Altair's mouth ran dry, and he reached down, grabbing hold of Aveline's hand. He glanced over to Ezio, who continued to stare straight ahead in absolute horror. Altair took a step backwards, and Ezio turned to look at him, his eyes wide and Altair locked gazes with him. "Run."

"What…?"

"Run!" Altair grabbed Aveline's hand tighter, and clutched Desmond to his chest, and bolted behind two large over turned crates. The second he had moved, three deafening bangs resonated through the warehouse, and Altair heard the sound of splintering wood as a horrifying realization dawned on him. "They're shooting at us…" He turned around and heaved a sigh of relief as he realized that Ezio and Connor were not far behind him. "Just keep running! Stay low!"

"Are you crazy?!" Ezio shouted back at him.

"You want to die!? Run!" Altair bolted forwards, dragging Aveline closely behind him, and holding Desmond tightly, the latter of whom had quite understandably begun to cry. Altair darted from corner to corner, keeping his head as low as possible, as more shots rang out from behind them. "Get to the door!" Altair ordered, looking back over his shoulder, and continuing to dart forwards.

The door loomed just ahead, and Altair nearly gasped with relief. He darted towards it, and yanked on it as hard as he could, and pulled it backwards before propelling Aveline through, shoving her forwards. "Go! Go!" He yelled, putting a hand on Ezio's back as he grabbed Connor's hand and scooped up Aveline's, carrying them both through the opening. Altair darted through behind them, and pulled the door shut as tightly as possible, before turning around and motioning forwards with his hands. "Don't stop running! Go!"

Ezio looked back at him, a frown creasing his features. "Go where?!"

Altair looked up to see more police beginning to encircle them. He took a deep breath and glanced around him. From the side of the warehouse he could hear voices and footsteps, and he continued to heave breath in and out. He turned to Ezio and took a few steps forwards, pulling Desmond from his shoulder and holding him out. The two-year-old's tiny fingers clung to his jacket and he let out a loud cry of disapproval, as Ezio reached up and took him under the arms, shock on his face. Altair took a few steps backwards, and reached forwards turning Ezio around by the shoulder. "Go! Find somewhere to hide!"

"What are you doing?" Ezio's eyes remained widened in horror.

"Just go!" Altair turned around and bolted, running as quickly as his legs would carry him, in the direction of the voices and footsteps.

"Altair!"

He ignored Ezio's screaming, and as he reached the corner he heard the door they had come from slam open, nearly wrenching it from its hinges. He turned around, jogging backwards as a group of policemen all ran from the warehouse, and yet another five officers ran up from around the building. All eyes were on him, and almost instantly, every gun was too. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again and glancing over his shoulder. There was no sign of Ezio, Connor or Aveline, and Altair couldn't help but heave a huge sigh of relief. He slowly raised his hands into the air, as a sign of surrender.

"Get on the ground!"

Altair slowly lowered his knees to the cold muddy ground, and kept his hand over his head and his face lowered. He felt two rough hands grab his wrists, and force them painfully up his back, and to metal cuffs were slapped over them, cutting deep into his flesh. He winced as more hands forced him up to his feet, beginning to frisk him, stripping him of his duffle bag and switchblade. He grimaced as one hand grabbed him by his upper arm, and another pushed on the back of his head, shoving him towards a police car that began to pull around. The door opened and Altair fell face first into the leather seats as he was roughly pushed inside. He slowly pushed himself up, staring out the window, scanning the horizon for any signs of Ezio or the children. He wasn't sure if he was relieved that he did not see them, or horrified by the fact that he was alone.

* * *

When Altair had been little, his father had taken him to see an old police movie. He remembered one scene in particular, where the police had arrested one of the bad guy's henchmen, and interrogated him. The detective had sat on the table, and shone a bright light in the man's face, and demanded answers, and when the man had refused to tell him, the detective had punched him.

This was nothing like that.

Altair was sitting on one side of a big metal table, while another man sat on the other side, with a clipboard, and a pen. There was one large light hanging overhead, and a very large mirror that took up half the wall to his left.

"There were four other children with you." The man said, tapping his pen up and down along the edge of the table. "Where are they?"

It was the same questions, over and over. Altair said absolutely nothing each time, and instead continued to stare at his hands which he kept folded in his lap. He wondered if this was some sort of interrogation technique, to drive him insane so he would just crack and tell them what he wanted to know.

"What were you doing in the warehouse?"

Altair stayed silent, staring at his hands.

"Are you going to talk to me?"

He looked up that time, at the man and frowned before sighing and looking back down. "Are you going to hit me if I don't?"

"What? No."

"Then no."

The man across from him sighed and ran a hand through his thinning hair, before standing and collecting his clipboard. He turned around, and walked to the door and left the room, closing it behind him. Altair leaned back in his chair, reaching up and tugging on his dirty beanie, pulling it down over his eyes. He wasn't sure what would happen to him now, if he would be sent back to boarding school, or locked away somewhere, or if they would do something even worse to him.

He buried his face into his hands, and leaned onto the table. He could feel warm tears slipping down his cheeks, and his hands slipped up so his eyes rested on the heel of his palm. His breath came in slow erratic hiccups, and he could feel his shoulders start to hitch. Altair wasn't sure how long it had been since he had cried, and despite what people would say about how it was good to let it out, and okay to cry, it did not make him feel any better. It just made him feel sick.

He folded his arms, and laid his head down on the table, burying his face deep into the folds of his jacket. Altair had no way of knowing how long he had been in that small room, but his exhaustion was starting to catch up with him. He closed his eyes and nestled his forehead into his arms, allowing his tears to pool on the table beneath him. He slipped in and out of sleep, occasionally waking at the sound of footsteps, or his own sniffling, and for all he knew, he had been like that for hours, before the door opened again.

Altair pushed himself up from the table and ran the back of his sleeve over his eyes, and sniffing heavily to try and clean himself up. He rubbed his eyes before lowing his hand and looking up at the man who walked through the open door, without bothering to close it behind him. Altair raised an eyebrow at the man, and watched as he walked over to the side of the table and leaned over, depositing a small black object in front of Altair. The man then stood up straight, adjusted the lapels of his jacket, and walked back through the door, closing it tightly behind him. Altair could only sit there and blink for a few seconds before looking down at the object in front of him. He reached forwards and carefully picked the object up in his fingers to examine it.

Upon closer inspection, and after turning it over to face upwards, Altair quickly realized it was a cellphone. "What am I supposed to do with this?" He murmured to himself. Was he supposed to call someone? He had no one to call. Altair sighed and as he went to set it back down on the table, he nearly fell out of his chair as it suddenly let out a sharp ringing noise. The screen lit up and the words 'unknown caller' appeared in big white letters along with two buttons towards the bottom that read 'accept' and 'deny'.

Altair stared at it as it continued to ring, and glanced up looking around the room. Very slowly he readjusted his grip on the phone and reached up with his other hand to press the 'accept' button. He then raised the device up to his ear, and swallowed heavily.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Altair."

Altair frowned and squirmed in his chair, glancing up and around the room. "Who's this?"

"You're Umar's son, aren't you?"

Altair's eyes widened, and he leaned forwards onto the table, feeling his hands grow slick with sweat. "You know my dad?"

"Not personally, no." The voice on the other end of the phone was distinctly male, and had what Altair could barely discern as a British accent. "However, I knew who he was. What he was. Just like I know who you are, and what you are."

"And what am I?" Altair swallowed, and licked his lips. There was silence on the other end of the phone, and Altair began to tap his fingers up and down across the table. After a few moments of silence, he frowned and looked around him again. "Hello?"

"My apologies." The voice spoke up again, briskly and formally, as if he and Altair were talking business. "I have a few questions for you. Will you answer them?"

"Will you answer mine?"

"Fair enough. How long has it been since you ran away from the Masyaf boarding school?"

"Almost three years now." Altair answered, picking at his fingernails with his thumb. "What did you mean by you knew what my father was?"

"Your father belonged to a select group of people who had a habit of making very powerful enemies." The voice continued on talking in a very business like fashion, but that statement made Altair's mouth run dry and he clenched his fist so tightly his knuckles began to turn white. "My turn now, yes? You've been traveling with a small group of other runaways, haven't you?"

Altair could hardly master the will to speak. "Yes."

The voice was silent for a few seconds after that, and the next words were almost spoken like a whisper. "Is one of them named Connor?"

The question caught him completely off guard, and he debated the answer in his head before lowing his head just a little bit. "Yes."

"I see."

"My turn." Altair sat up again.

"Very well. Ask away."

The words did not come easily to him, and Altair closed his eyes and took a deep breath, taking a moment to calm himself down before he asked. "Was the car crash that killed my father an accident?"

"No."

The man might as well have come into the room and smacked Altair across the face. The answer sent him reeling, and he leaned back in the chair, grabbing the edge of the table, breathing heavily. He leaned back into the phone, grabbing hold of it with both hands. "Was he killed because of this group he was in? What was he part of?"

"I'm sorry, Altair, that's all the time we have for questions today."

"What? No, you can't-!"

"I do have some good news for you, though." The voice continued, interrupting him smoothly. "I am going to help you, Altair."

"Help me?" Altair felt angry tears beginning to sting at his eyes. "If you want to help me, then tell me why my father was killed!"

"Believe it or not, son, I'm trying to keep you safe by withholding that information. I'm sorry. Now, do you want to see your little friends again or not?"

"What?"

"Someone will be in with your things shortly, keep this phone with you when you leave. Find your friends… find Connor, and then call me."

"Why the hell would I do that?"

"Its like I said, my boy. I'm going to help you. When you find them, you call me, and I'll have you taken somewhere safe. I'll see to it you'll be provided for, and all you have to do is what you've been doing. Keep them safe."

"I'm not going to go find them so you can have us locked up somewhere, or put into some orphanage or something." Altair spat into the phone. "You're just using me to find them!"

"I suppose that's how it must look, isn't it?" The voice sighed dramatically. "Yes, I don't suppose you've gotten as far as you have by trusting strangers. However, it is not my intention to have you locked up or put into some orphanage. That is actually what I am trying to avoid."

"Why should I believe you?"

"Because if I wanted to lock you up, I'd have you locked up. I don't need you to find your friends, I am perfectly capable of doing that without you."

"You're lying."

"Am I? They're all sitting in the bus station at High and North street, asleep on one of the benches."

"I… You're making that up."

"If that is what you think. Now there's a car waiting for you outside. You can either stay here in police custody, and wait for my influence to wear out which will allow the police to go collect your friends. Or… you can trust me, go get in the car, get your friends and then allow me to take you somewhere safe."

Altair bit down on his thumb, and then leaned back. "Why would you do this for us?" He asked, keeping his finger to his mouth. "Do you know Connor?"

"No… No, I don't. I…" The voice hesitated. "I knew his mother."

"His mother?"

"Yes." The voice sighed heavily. "And this is the best I can do to keep him safe. To protect him."

"And the rest of us?"

"Well, the rest of you are receiving spill over benefits." The man chuckled. "So, are you going to take advantage of my generosity, Altair?"

As the man said this, the door opened and the same man from earlier stood in the doorway, holding Altair's duffle bag and switchblade. Altair looked up at him and then looked away, leaning into the phone again. "I guess I don't have much of a choice."

"Good lad."

And then there was a click on the other end of the phone, and the call ended.


	6. The House

Altair felt incredibly out of place in the large black car. Everything looked so expensive and clean, and Altair was sitting next to a window in clothes that hadn't been washed in well over a year. He shifted uncomfortably and clutched his duffle closer to him, before glancing up at the driver. It was the same man who had supplied him with the cell phone, and given him back his things, although the man had not spoken more than a few words to him the entire way up. Under normal circumstances, silence would have suited him just fine but these were not normal circumstances. In fact, it was about as far from normal as it possibly could be.

He looked out the window, which was just a little higher than his line of sight, and shifted uncomfortably against the seat belt. "Where are we going?" He looked back towards the driver.

"North and High."

Altair felt like he had swallowed a spoonful of sand. That had been where the man on the phone had said the bus station was. The bus station where Ezio and the others allegedly were. He had no idea how trustworthy the mysterious voice from the other end of the cellphone was, and his heartbeat was speeding up and his palms were growing more and more sweaty as his mind raced to supply him with all the scenarios that could play out where the man could not be trusted. This whole thing felt very wrong, and not just the fact that he was putting his faith in a man whose face he could not see. Altair had always thought of himself as a loner. He had done fine on his own, and he had liked it that way. Yet here he was, worrying himself sick over the welfare of four other children.

The car continued to rumble over the poorly paved city streets, and Altair clung to his bag tighter than he thought possible. He had already checked through it, to make sure that everything was still there, and he had been more than a little relieved to see they had not taken anything. The ride continued to drag on in total silence, until finally the car pulled to a jerking stop, and the driver unfastened himself and exited the car. Altair slowly unclipped his own seatbelt, and as he reached for the car handle he was very surprised when it opened for him. The driver stood there, holding the car door open, and Altair slid out, pulling his duffle over his shoulder again. He looked up at the driver, and the man stared down at him passively, before reaching deep into his pocket and pulling out a long blue lanyard, with a shining metal key at the end. He thrust it forward, and Altair stumbled to catch it. He held it up by the lanyard and frowned.

"What's this for…?" He glanced up, but the man ignored him and simply circled back around and got back in the car. The engine roared, and it backed up briefly before speeding away down the street.

Altair watched after him with his mouth agape, and then sighed, lifting the lanyard up again to look at the shining key. Engraved into the head of the key were three small numbers, a two a one and a five. "Two fifteen?" Altair mumbled, running his hands along the silver. "Two-hundred and fifteen?" He shrugged and gripped it tightly in his hands before lowering it again. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

And then, as if on cue, activated by his question, the cellphone he had tucked in his pocket began to vibrate and ring. Altair fumbled with the key, shoving it into his pocket and reaching deep into his other to grab the phone. He yanked it from the confines of his jacket and examined it closely. The screen was lit up again, and on the front were the words 'unknown caller'. Altair frowned before tapping the 'accept' button and holding it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"The key you have opens the door to a house on Sandalwood Road."

Altair scowled and shuffled in place. "Oh, I'm fine, how are you?" He muttered sarcastically. The voice on the other end chuckled a little, and Altair suddenly raised his head and began to look around him. "Wait a minute, are you watching me?" He asked, scanning the parking lot for any signs of life.

"In a way, yes." The voice sounded smug. "Smile, you're on camera."

Altair's head snapped up and he turned around, scanning the upper walls of the building. On the far left corner, there was a small security camera pointed directly at him. "You're watching me through a security camera?"

"It's not really important. Now, the key you have…"

"Just who are you?" Altair cut him off. "How did you get me out of police custody? How are you watching me through a security camera."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, before Altair heard a sigh. "I am a very influential man, Altair. And a valuable ally for you to have, so I suggest you show me some gratitude before I retract my generosity."

"I never said I wasn't grateful." Altair mumbled, shoving his hand into his pocket and gripping the key between his fingers. "What, I can't ask questions?"

"Not ones you're better off not knowing the answers too. Now." The voice sounded curt and slightly put off. "Are you going to let me explain the key or not?"

"Go for it."

"Very good." He heard the man clear his throat. "Now, then. Like I said. That key opens a door to a house on Sandalwood Road. Its house number is two one five, like it says on the key. It's not exactly five star accommodations, but it's out of the cold, so that might be a step up."

"Wait, a house?" Altair frowned. "You're giving me the key to some house?"

"Yes. Sandalwood Road is only a few blocks from where you are now. So go inside, gather your little friends and-"

"We're not going to squat in some abandoned house. That's a social worker call waiting to happen." Altair glared. "Or worse, the police. We're more transient orphans."

"Yes, I'm well aware. Unfortunately, if you want to keep your friends safe, your days of city hopping are over."

"And you've decided that, have you?"

"Look, I'm well aware of the challenges a group of children will be facing living on their own, in a suburban neighborhood. But it's like I said. I am a very influential man. Social workers will be the furthest thing from your mind." The man continued. "I'll provide money for food, and a few luxuries. You won't have to miss another meal, Altair. You won't have to think about those children going days on end without food, or being cold, or glancing over your shoulder all the time."

Altair looked down at the floor, and licked his lips before glancing back up at the bus station. "It does sound like a pretty good deal, but…"

"Being safe, and well fed, and warm… well those things might mean you have to give up a personal freedom or two." The man's voice was slightly colder. "If you want to live in the adult world, you'll have to act like an adult, Altair."

"So if I refuse?"

"Then I call some police and social workers and have them pick you up."

"You're threatening me?"

"It's not really a threat, Altair. My demands are beneficial to you, after all. I'm just trying to keep you safe." The man sighed heavily, and then began to speak again. "Well, I'll leave you to it then. Make the smart choice here, Altair."

There was a small click, and then a dial tone. Altair pulled the phone away from his ear and quickly stuffed it into his pockets. He looked up at the security camera and folded his arms in a huff, giving it the dirtiest look he could muster. He then turned to stare at the front doors of the bus station, and frowned. There was no good explanation for why he was so hesitant, but he found himself very unwilling to move. After a few moments, though it might as well have been an eternity, Altair picked his feet up, and walked into the bus station.

It was as dirty and unkempt as Altair had been expecting it to be. The floors were covered in dirt and grime, and hard deposits of salt that had been laid down on the sidewalks to keep ice from accumulating, and the whole room was lined with dirty wooden benches and a few small coffee tables. The lights overhead were of the pale blue fluorescent variety, and were emitting a high-pitched whine, which was starting to drive Altair crazy. Towards the back of the room, there were several people all slumped up against walls and seats, most of them dozing, though some were reading and doing crosswords. It was there that Altair turned his attention, as he slowly made his way towards the back, scanning the rows and examining the people. At first there was no sign of Ezio or the others, but then again, that was usually the point. Altair had schooled Ezio well in the art of not being seen when they did not want to be seen.

However, Altair was also a master of finding who he was looking for. He spotted Ezio slumped up against a bench, near a couple of adults. His chin was resting against his chest, and his eyes were closed in peaceful slumber. On his lap, nestled deep into his arms was Desmond; the child's face was red and puffy, and snot and tears glistened along his cheeks and upper lip. He was clinging to a fistful of Ezio's jacket, whimpering in a fitful sleep, his legs kicking and twitching ever so slightly. Connor and Aveline were nestled together on the edge of the bench against the armrest, each leaning on the other. Aveline's arms were tucked around Connor's chest, and he held one arm around her shoulders, his head tilted up against her hair. Any passer by would have just assumed they were there with their parents, or waiting for the bus. But naturally, Altair knew better.

He walked over to the bench they all sat on, asleep and raised his foot, slightly knocking it against Ezio's leg. The boy twitched in response, but did not wake up, so Altair kicked him again, a little harder this time. "Ezio. Wake up."

The mention of his friend's name brought his head up, in a startled and still half asleep panic. He looked around him, before his eyes settled on Altair's jacket, and then slowly made their way up to his face. The look of shock on Ezio's face was amusing to say the least. "Altair?"

"Yeah." Altair nodded, and Ezio jumped up, clearly forgetting about the two year old he held nestled in his arms. Desmond dropped a few inches before Ezio got his thoughts together and readjusted his grip on the two year old, lifting him up. The act had startled Desmond awake and he let out a protesting cry, which almost instantly gave way to sobbing as he grabbed more fistfuls of Ezio's coat.

"Altair, you're okay!" Ezio ignored the screaming child, and continued to stare on at Altair, with beaming eyes and the happiest expression Altair had ever seen. Upon this mention, Desmond turned his head and finally caught a glimpse of Altair, and he reacted instantly. He nearly threw himself forwards, extending his arms, and continuing to cry. Altair caught him, startled by the sudden display, and slowly removed him from Ezio's arms. He pulled him up, and held him against his shoulder, which Desmond promptly buried his face into, wrapping his arms around Altair's neck. Altair could not complain, as the act seemed to soothe the child, which meant no more screaming or crying.

"Yeah…" He huffed, adjusting his grip on Desmond. "Yeah, I'm fine."

The entire commotion had been a lot louder and a lot more of a show than Altair had been expecting, and more than a few people were starting to rouse from their sleep to stare at them. This included Connor an Aveline. The two children sat up, looking around, confused and dazed. Connor reached up to rub his eyes and Aveline pulled herself up to look around. She spotted Altair first, and smiled widely.

"Altair!"

Connor looked up, and went wide-eyed at the sight of him. "You're back!"

"Yes. Yes I'm back." Altair spoke in a quiet and strained voice. "Now please, be quiet!"

A hush fell over the group, and Altair slowly sighed and then nodded his head back at the other end of the bus station. "Come on, let's talk outside."

Ezio nodded and stood up, reaching out to help Connor and Aveline up with him. The five of them slowly made their way to the doors of the bus station, and Altair pushed his back up against them, pushing them open and propping them there as the children all filed out. It was slightly warmer on this particular day, and the lack of wind made it much more tolerable outside than it had been only yesterday. When the five of them had all gathered near the wall of the bus station, they all huddled around Altair, except Desmond, who remained placid in the older boy's grip.

"So?" Ezio walked over, holding his hands out beseechingly. "How'd you do it? How'd you get away from the cops?"

Altair frowned and looked around at the eager children, who were clearly expecting some tale of grandiose escape. "They just let me go."

"What?" Ezio blinked. "For real?"

"Yeah…" Altair sighed and shifted. "There was some guy… I guess he must be pretty important. He just got the police to let me walk."

"Really?" Ezio folded his arms. "Wow… That's useful. But, what about that dead guy? And the warehouse? I mean, those cops were shooting at us…"

"Sorry…" Altair glanced down at the ground. "I don't know anymore than I did." He then frowned and glanced down at Connor, who stared up at him in response, with his eyebrow raised. "Hey." Altair, shifted in place. "Did your mom have any friends in the police?"

"What?" Connor blinked heavily, clearly thrown off by the statement. "No, of course not. She always told me I couldn't trust anyone in the police. Why?"

"Just wondering." Altair muttered, furrowing his brow.

Aveline looked up and glanced around at the three older boys that surrounded her, and asked the question that was on everyone else's mind. "So now what do we do?"

"Well…" Altair removed one of his hands from Desmond, supporting him with only one, and reached into his pocket. "I think I have a place for us to go."

"You do?" Ezio frowned, folding his arms.

"Yeah." Altair pulled the long lanyard from his pocket and dangled the key in front of them. "You guys ever squat in an abandoned house before?"

* * *

The man on the phone had not been lying when he had said that Sandalwood Road was only a few blocks from where they were. It was relatively close to town and a few convenience stores, although the further down they went, the more secluded the place felt. The house they stood in front of now was small and grey, with the shining brass numbers two fifteen nailed to the wall next to the door.

"This place?" Ezio frowned, looking it up and down. "It doesn't look very abandoned to me."

"It's abandoned." Altair looked down at the key in his hand. "Trust me."

"How did you know about this place?" The second eldest of their group eyed him warily, and Altair swallowed heavily under the scrutinizing gaze.

"I just did, alright?" He gripped the key tightly in his fingers, and very slowly made his way up to the front door. It was a large cedar door, with black peeling paint, and a very small triangular window towards the top. Altair took a deep breath, and shoved the key into the small golden lock that sat a few inches over a dirty metal doorknob, and turned. It was an effort to get the lock to turn, but after a while it opened with a thunk, and Altair was able to pull the key out. He looked back at the group of kids who stood a little ways behind him, and slowly pushed the door inwards and stepped inside.

It wasn't a nice house by any stretch of the imagination. It looked as though it was ready to fall apart at the hinges at any second, and crash all around them. When the man on the phone had said 'not exactly five stars', Altair had at least expected three stars. Maybe two and a half.

"This is where we're going to squat?" Ezio walked in behind him, running a hand on one of the water stains that lined the walls. "Its um… nice?"

"This place is a dump." Connor walked in ahead of him.

"Yeah, well…" Altair folded his arms. "Its safe here, at least."

"How do you know that?" Ezio frowned at him.

"I just do, okay?"

Connor and Aveline both began to poke around through the living area, and began to explore the hallway that connected to it. Ezio walked up beside Altair as he shut the door, and Altair felt Desmond's small fingers close around his pant leg. He put a hand on top of the child's head, and looked over at his friend who was staring at him with folded arms. Altair sighed and shook his head.

"Look, its got running water, electricity… a heating system…" He looked over at the heater on the wall. "Sort of."

"Yeah, I know, Altair but…" Ezio sighed. "We're not going to stay here long, are we?"

"I don't know, Ezio…"

Then suddenly they both heard Aveline let out a shrill cry, and the girl tore from the back room, running through the hall and grabbing onto Ezio, hugging him around the knees and burying her face into his stomach. Ezio gasped as the wind was knocked out of him, and Altair looked up prepared to be horrified by whatever was back there that had made the girl run… When Connor came running out, holding something small and furry in his hands.

"Look! I found a rat!" He beamed, running his hand along the creature's fur. "Can I keep it?"

Ezio stared down at the rodent in Connor's hands, and then turned to look at Altair, with a look that spoke exactly what the younger boy was trying to convey. Altair just sighed and put a hand on Aveline's head, patting it, and looking back up at Ezio.

"Not too long, I hope." He muttered.


	7. The Rose

It took Altair a few moments to fully realize that he was no longer asleep or dreaming and that he was simply staring up at the water stained ceiling. He shifted uncomfortably against the bed, and turned over on to his stomach, shoving his hands underneath his chest and pushing himself up and away from the mattress. He rocked back onto his knees and then reached up and ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it as he did so. He grabbed his beanie up from the pillow, and pulled it down over his head to his eyes and finally forced himself to stand. Very slowly, he made his way to the door and then began to head down the hallway, to the kitchen. He peered inside, leaning heavily against the doorway, and saw nothing expect the package of opened soda sitting on the table. Altair shoved his hand into his jacket pocket and extracted the cellphone, and clicking on it to make the screen light up.

"It's almost three…" He muttered. "Some nap."

The quietude of the house could only possibly mean that the others were outside. So Altair shoved himself away from the doorframe and headed through the living room, to the front door. He pried it open and stepped out onto the small stone step that acted as a meager front porch, and pulled the door shut behind him.

"Hey, Altair! Got some sleep?"

Altair looked up from the floor, and out to the front lawn. Ezio was sitting on a dead and rotting tree stump, with Desmond tucked up on top of his lap and his arms folded tightly over the boy's stomach. Desmond was clutching a bright red can of soda between his fingers, and looked up with beaming eyes at Altair, as the older boy walked over. He turned his head to look out onto the sidewalk, where Connor and Aveline were crouched on their hands and knees, scribbling over the concrete with thick pieces of chalk. He smirked and turned to look down at Ezio. "Yeah, I did."

"Good." Ezio nodded.

Desmond leaned over in Ezio's arms, setting the empty can of soda on the sidewalk at their feet, and then promptly squirmed free. He walked up to Altair and promptly raised his hands up to him. "Swing me, Altair!"

Altair looked down at the four year old, and sighed before bending over leaning clear over Desmond until his face was next to the small of the four year old's back. He wrapped his arms around Desmond's waist, and then stood up straight, pulling him upside down, and holding him tightly by his middle. Desmond squealed, laughing delightedly and grabbing onto Altair's hands as the blood began to rush to his head. Altair shifted the boy in his grip, reaching up with one hand to take Desmond by the ankles, and then he let the boy drop entirely, suspended only by his legs and slowly began to swing him back and forth.

Ezio watched him for a few minutes, smiling at Desmond and tilting his head to the side to get a glimpse at Desmond's upside down face. He then looked back up at Altair, and he saw the smile gradually fade away. "Altair, do you remember the day we first came here?"

"Sure. Connor tormented Aveline with a rat."

Ezio laughed briefly and shook his head. "Yeah, that too, but that's not what I was talking about."

"How could that not be what you're talking about?" Connor said, looking up. "That was the best!" He frowned. "I miss George."

"That's still a dumb name for a rat." Aveline said, without even glancing up from her chalk drawing.

"You're dumb." Connor said, sticking his tongue out at her.

In response to this insult, Aveline sat up, and reached across and smeared a band of pink chalk down Connor's face. The boy blinked, obviously bewildered by this, before a devilish grin appeared on his face and he seized a piece of yellow chalk from the basket. Aveline shrieked and clambered to her feet and took off running across the yard, and Connor was all too happy to give chase. Altair sighed and continued to swing Desmond by his ankles.

"One of you is going to wind up crying, and then all I'm gonna say is 'told you so'." He called over his shoulder as Connor continued to chase Aveline through the dead and slightly overgrown grass. Altair looked back down at Ezio, and frowned. The younger boy continued to watch the children with half a smile on his face. "So?" He asked, as Desmond let out another gleeful cry. "What were you talking about?"

Ezio looked up at him, and ran a hand through his long hair, pulling it away from his face and tying it back into a ponytail. "Hm? Oh… nothing its just…" He sighed heavily and leaned onto his legs. "…. That was two years ago."

Altair's frown slowly became more pronounced as he realized exactly where this was going. "I know."

"And don't get me wrong, I am grateful. I really am. Its awesome that a bunch of random kids can just stay in an old house and get money and food and things like that. But…"

"Ezio… Look. I know you want to look for your brothers and sister, but—"

"But? Altair, it was your idea to look for them! You were the one who said I should find them!" Ezio stood up, stepping forwards in anger.

Altair stopped swinging Desmond, and the boy looked up as the air between the two older boys slowly became more heated. He lowered Desmond to the floor and set him down gently, turning him back over onto his feet. He then looked back up at Ezio and folded his arms. "Ezio, I still think we should find your brothers and sister. Don't get the wrong idea, here. But seriously. Hopping around from city to city, randomly asking around… it wasn't doing anything."

"It was more than what we're doing now, which is nothing."

"I have not been doing nothing." Altair took a step forwards. "I've been-"

"You've been obsessed with that stupid symbol on your dad's journal, that's what you've been doing." Ezio snapped, folding his arms. "Look, I'm not stupid, I know that bouncing around and asking about them isn't going to make them magically turn up." He curled his fists. "But at least then I could say I was doing something."

"You weren't doing something." Altair sighed, exasperatedly. "All that was, was a distraction from-"

"A distraction?!" Ezio took a step back, anger and shock heavy in his features. "They're my family!"

"That's not what I meant, Ezio!" Altair returned Ezio's screaming in kind. "That method was a distraction from actual ways that we could be looking for them!"

"Oh fess up! I've been nothing more than a means to an end to you since day one! You don't care one lick about finding my family!"

"What?!" Altair snarled. "You followed me! I didn't even want you to come!" He raised his hand, pointing directly to Ezio's face. "You're just taking your anger out on me, because you can't handle the fact that your family is gone. Just like all of our families are gone! We're all on our own, and the only one who can't seem to cope with that is you!"

Ezio could only stand there and stare at him, his face red, and his jaw hanging slightly slack. Water was beginning to well up in his eyes, and a few tears spilled over, down his tan cheeks. Altair felt regret well up inside him, and he felt like he had swallowed his own tongue. He lowered his head, and held a hand to his face.

"Ezio, I'm…"

Before the words could leave his mouth, Ezio took off like a bullet, snapping down to the end of their lawn and down the street, running as quickly as his legs could carry him. Altair reached forwards in a halfhearted attempt to call him back, but the words would not reach his mouth. As his hand fell back to his side, Connor ran to the edge of the lawn, still gripping his piece of yellow chalk as tightly as he was able.

"Ezio!" He yelled. "Ezio, come back!"

Altair lowered his head, clutching his shaking fists. He felt Desmond grab onto his hand, looping his fingers between Altair's stump and pinky finger. "Where's he going?"

Suddenly Connor and Aveline were in front of him, looking up at him with expressions that Altair couldn't quite discern. Connor spoke up first. "You have to bring him back!"

"Don't let him go out there alone, Altair!" Aveline folded her arms in a pout.

"You're going to go and get him, right Altair?" Desmond said, gripping Altair's hand a little tighter.

Altair took a deep and shuddering breath. He looked down. "Connor, Aveline."

"Yes?" Aveline frowned.

"I need you to watch Desmond for a while." He said looking down at the child. "I need you to be extra responsible. Can you do that?"

"Yeah, of course we can." Connor nodded. "You're going to get Ezio, right?"

"Right." Altair nodded.

"Okay." Aveline took Desmond's hand and pulled him over to her, away from Altair. "We'll stay in the house. And we'll take care of Desmond."

Altair crouched down in front of them and put a hand on her head. "Good girl." He looked to Connor. "Don't torment her while I'm gone. I don't know how long it will take, but… be good, alright?"

"We will." Connor nodded.

Altair put his hands on Desmond's shoulders. "Connor and Aveline are in charge. Don't leave the house. And be on your best behavior, alright?"

The child nodded and grabbed onto Altair's hand. "You're coming back right? With Ezio."

"Of course."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

With that, Altair stood up, and looked back towards the direction where Ezio had run off in, and waved the children onwards. The three of them instantly retreated back into the house, thought not without a few lingering glances. Finally the large and heavy door shut with a loud thumping noise, and Altair heard the turn of a lock. He sighed and slowly shoved his hands deep into his pockets, and very slowly withdrew the cellphone. He clicked the button the front, turning it on and causing the screen to light up. He clicked on a button, and flipped through a few settings until he arrived at a screen labeled 'all calls'. He scrolled down to the call that read 'last received', and with great hesitation he swallowed his pride, and pressed send. He held the phone to his ear and listened as it rang. Finally, there was a click on the other end.

"Altair?"

"Listen," Altair started, running a hand through his sweaty and bedraggled hair. "I know I'm not in any position to ask you any favors. Just… please… Please help me on this one thing."

"You sound quite flustered, Altair. Have you been sleeping enough?"

Altair was quiet for a few moments and sighed. "Please. I won't ask you for anything else, I swear. I've done everything you've asked." He lowered his head, and let his arm drop. "I'm begging you. Help me."

There was a long dragging silence on the other end of the phone. "What did you need?"

* * *

This was the second time that Altair had been in the back of the large black car, and he felt no less dwarfed by it, despite being two years taller and larger. There was something about the huge interior of the car, the leather seats, and the plush carpeting, and velvety lining that made him feel incredibly insignificant. The driver was even the same. The exact same stoic and quiet man who had taken him down to the bus station two years ago, and brought him the cellphone that had changed his life. Altair still didn't know his name. Nor did he have any inclination to ask. He simply sat, staring out the tinted window of the fancy black car. He wasn't quite sure how long they had been driving; it could have been minutes, or it could have been hours. However the did eventually come to a stop, and Altair shifted around to fumble with the seatbelt, as the driver came along to his side of the car and opened the door.

"We're here, sir."

The word 'sir' caught Altair ever so slightly off guard as he slipped out of the huge car and stood up straight, evening out his jacket and looking up at the driver. "Um… Thank you."

"Of course, sir." The man bowed his head. "I will be waiting here for you when you are finished, naturally."

"Oh. Thanks." Altair shifted, uncomfortably. He wasn't used to being treated that way, and he wasn't sure if he liked it or not. He took a few steps forwards and looked up at the large ornate brick building that greeted him. Each brick seemed to shimmer in the sunlight, and despite the chill of winter beginning to slowly creep into the air, the grass was lush and green, and very neatly trimmed. It was like stepping into another world entirely. Altair looked up to the stone letters that were cemented into place above the door and raised his eyebrow. "Blooming Rose Academy for Girls." He read, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Altair had initially been against going back to another boarding school, but upon learning that it was an 'all girls' school, he agreed, seeing as there was no way someone could mistake him for a student. He gave the driver one backwards glance, and very slowly made his way up to the front door. It almost felt wrong to touch the shiny brass handle with his filthy hands, but after a few seconds he was able to remind himself that he in fact, did not care if he got their doors dirty. He yanked the door open and slipped inside, letting it slowly click shut behind him. According to the man on the telephone, he was supposed to be looking for the headmaster, Sister Teodora.

The halls were just as fancy, if not more so, than the outside of the building. The walls were colored with red and gold trimming, and there were large pots filled to the brim with dark red roses. The smell alone was almost enough to knock Altair back off his feet. He was nearly gagging before he managed to pull himself together and march himself up a small flight of marble stairs. The main office was by no means difficult to find, as it remained relatively close to the front door. It was marked with large mahogany doors, with glass panes in the middle, which were decorated with swirled iron rods, snaking up the glass like vines.

Altair grabbed the door handle and twisted, pulling the door open effortlessly. He was used to doors giving more resistance than that. He cleared his throat, and stepped inside, looking around. There was one large wooden desk towards the back of the room, with a woman happily typing away on a computer. Altair took a deep breath and made his way over to the desk, keeping his hands firmly planted in his pockets.

"Excuse me?"

The woman looked up at him through horn-rimmed glasses, and a small smile flickered over her face. "Yes?"

"I'm here to see Sister Teodora."

"Oh?"

Altair glanced off to the side, and bit down on his lip. "Is she in?"

"She's a little busy right now…" The woman sighed and leaned forwards. "But if you have a seat in the lobby, she'll be right with you. Your name?"

"Altair."

"Oh what an interesting name. Where's it from?" The woman leaned back, a delighted smile on her face.

"You said the lobby?" Altair ignored the question and pointed out behind him.

The woman looked slightly put off, but smiled just the same. "Yes, the lobby. I'll tell her you're here."

Altair turned around and walked out of the office, closing the door behind him. He scanned the large room he found himself in, and found himself fidgeting even more than before. He spotted two large leather chairs towards the other end of the room, but something about sitting on the shimmering clean leather in his current state seemed… well, impolite. So instead, he opted to go over and stand leaning up against a marble column, and shoving his hands back down into his pockets, and losing himself in thought. This whole thing didn't exactly seem like the brightest idea he'd ever had, but it was the only idea he had at the time, so he was going through with it. He sighed and shuffled against the column, and closed his eyes, completely prepared to lose himself in thought again, when a voice jarred him from his reverie.

"You're not a student here."

He opened his eyes and pushed himself away from the column. He turned his head and spotted a girl, no older than he was standing in front of him. She wore a dark red jumper and white blouse underneath it, and white knee-high socks, and very shiny buckle shoes. She also had a purse clutched in her hands that Altair had a feeling was worth more than he'd ever see in his life. Her hair was braided in two long braids, which were pulled back into a bun on the back of her head, and on her face, she wore a very dour put out expression. Altair could only stare at her for a minute. "What?"

"You." She pointed at him with a manicured nail. "Are not a student here."

Altair's jaw went a little slack and he furrowed his brow. "Astute observation. What gave me away?" He asked, motioning down at himself.

"So what are you doing here?"

"Excuse me?"

"Are you hard of hearing or something?" She asked, putting her hands to her hips. "What are you doing here?"

"What's it to you?" Altair folded his arms, across his chest, and turning towards her. "Maybe I'm enrolling." He snapped sarcastically.

"Well its not like it's a weird question." She said, frowning. "You are pretty out of place."

"Do you always get into other people's business?"

"Maybe I do."

"Well it's a bad habit." Altair pushed himself back up against the column, keeping his arms folded tightly over his chest.

The girl stared at him for a few more moments, before shifting in place. "I'm Maria. Maria Thorpe."

"Good for you."

"This is the part where you introduce yourself."

"Don't you have a class or something to get to?"

"Not for a few minutes." She looked him up and down. "So where are you from?"

"I live on the corner of 'Business' and 'None of yours'."

"Are you always this charming?"

"Are you always this annoying?"

"Altair?"

Altair looked up to see the woman from the front desk, standing by the door. He perked up a little bit, and looked over at her, pushing himself away from the column. "Yeah?"

"Sister Teodora will see you now."

"Thanks."

He looked over at the girl who was staring at him with a smug expression. "So your name is Altair?"

Altair scowled and rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He quickly made his way over to where the woman was standing in the doorway, and followed her through it. She lead him down a long hallway, filled with doors that read things like 'faculty' and 'staff', until they arrived at a surprisingly modest looking door that read 'Sister Teodora'. The woman smiled at him, and then turned around and left him standing there alone. Altair hesitated, but only for a brief moment, as he reached up and wrapped his fist against the wood.

"Come in." A voice called from inside.

Altair pushed the door open, and peered in, and was very surprised to see that the modest door was a reflection of the modest interior. There was a metal desk in the middle, and several metal filing cabinets to the side, and two rickety looking wooden chairs in front of the desk, and apart from that… there was nothing. A woman stood next to the filing cabinet, dressed in a long black dress with a white veil over her head. She was looking through a few papers when Altair walked in, and she looked up at him, and smiled. Something about her was incredibly inviting, and trustworthy.

"You must be Altair."

"Yes ma'am." Altair cast his eyes around the room, feeling unexpectedly meek.

"Please sit." She motioned to the chair in front of her desk, and she slid into the one behind it. Altair sat down, and fidgeted as Sister Teodora leaned across the desk, to stare at him. "Now. What can I help you with today? I was surprised to hear that you were here."

"You were?" Altair looked up, confused.

"Well certainly. Its not every day that a young boy comes walking into the Blooming Rose."

"Oh. Right." Altair shook his head. "Of course." He cleared his throat and pushed himself forwards in his chair. "I'm actually looking for one of your students."

"You are?"

Altair nodded and looked up at her, as seriously as he could. "I'm looking for Claudia Auditore."


	8. Let Me Go Home

Altair sat on a wooden bench outside of Sister Teodora's office, with his arms folded tightly over his chest and a scowl on his face. He reached up and pulled his beanie down a little further over his face, and grumbled a little before shifting in his seat and looking up at the girl who sat in a large comfortable looking chair in front of him, with her legs crossed and her chin in her fingers. He snarled.

"Don't you have anything better to do?"

The girl, who had previously introduced herself as Maria Thorpe just continued to stare at him. "What's your problem? You can't share the waiting room with me?"

"You're staring at me." He growled.

"I am not, you're just paranoid."

Altair was about to stand up and march out, then and there, but the mental reminder of just how badly he had hurt his first, and possibly best friend, kept him rooted to the spot. He was nothing if not stubborn. He turned away, and folded his arms in a huff, before leaning back into the wooden seat.

"So were you named after the star?"

"What?" He looked back at the girl. Who, despite what she said, was most certainly staring at him.

"Altair." She said, sitting up straight and picking at a wrinkle in her skirt. "It's the brightest star in the Aquila constellation. Is that what you were named after?"

The question caught him slightly off balance. He shook it off a second later, and leaned back again, folding his arms. "How should I know?"

"Didn't your parents ever tell you?"

"No."

It was quiet again, for a full minute after that, and Altair had started to think that maybe she was done asking inane questions. And then…

"So what happened to your finger?"

"Bear fight."

"That's not funny. "

"Am I laughing?"

Maria folded her arms, looking extremely put out, and then scowled at him. "I'm trying to have a conversation with you. Why are you so rude?"

"Why are you so nosy?"

"If you asked me questions I would answer them." Maria leaned back, raising her chin as if issuing a challenge.

Altair looked up at her. "I don't want to know anything about you."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't care."

Finally, as if someone had been listening to his plight, his torment was ended, when the door to the headmaster's office opened, and Sister Teodora stepped out, and looked down at him. "Altair?"

"Yes?" Altair looked up at her, moving his hat back out of his eyes.

"Claudia is here."

Altair pushed himself off the bench, ignoring the curious glances Maria was giving him, and then walked into the office. He took a deep breath as he stepped inside, and he realized he had absolutely no idea what he was going to say to her. Presuming that the mysterious man on the other end of the telephone was even telling the truth and this was the correct Claudia Auditore. Then again, how many Claudia Auditores could there possibly be?

Sister Teodora led him into her modest office, and stepped aside for him to walk in ahead of her. He took a deep breath, and stepped inside, and once he was in, Sister Teodora shut the door softly, behind him. He looked back at it, and then looked forwards at the two chairs that sat in front of the desk that occupied most of the room. Seated in one of the chairs, was a young girl, with dark hair and a pale complexion. It was a bit of a contrast to Ezio's tanned and constantly slightly sunburnt skin. Still there were resemblances in their features, and it was almost instantly apparent they were in fact siblings. She looked up at him, and her nose wrinkled as if she was trying to discern just why a filthy slightly older boy would be here, asking for her by name, and frankly Altair couldn't blame her. He shuffled his feet slightly, and looked up at her again while clearing his throat.

"Are you Claudia Auditore?"

"Obviously." She spoke in a guarded tone, as if trying to discern if Altair was some sort of creep who was here to either rob or kidnap her.

"Um… My name is Altair." He started, taking a few steps forward. "I'm a friend of Ezio Auditore."

Suddenly, the girl's eyes widened and she shoved her chair back so hard it nearly tipped over. She stood up and turned to him, extending her arms as if she was going to grab his shoulders and start shaking him. Altair took a step backwards, holding his own hands up defensively, as she spoke.

"Ezio? You know Ezio? They said he went missing after he had been put up with a foster family! Where is he? Do the police know where he is?"

It suddenly occurred to him, that this might not have been the best idea. Of course Ezio would be thought of a missing, and of course his sister would be worried out of her mind about him. He wondered if she was going to call the police, and she certainly looked about ready to. He had to put a stop to that right away. "Ezio's fine!" He blurted, though at the time, he honestly wasn't sure of that. "Me and him… and a few others… We're all um… We're all living in a sort of… boarding house." He nodded.

"A boarding house?" She put a hand to her chest and grabbed onto the chair for support. "Oh thank god… After what happened with Federico… and poor Petruccio, I thought… "

"Wait… what?" Altair took a step forwards. "Federico and Petruccio? Your other brothers, right? What happened to them?"

Claudia frowned at him. "Ezio did not tell you?"

"Ezio has been looking for you and his brothers for almost a year now…" Altair felt guilt well up in his chest. "He hasn't heard anything about you."

"Oh no…" Claudia stood up. "He doesn't know?"

"Doesn't know what?" Altair felt himself getting more than a little frustrated.

Claudia reached around and grabbed her left arm with her right and lowered her head a little. She looked pained, but she glanced back up at him anyhow. "Petruccio has never been the healthiest boy in the world. He… hasn't been doing well for a while now. They tell me he is in the hospital, though they won't say much on his condition. And Federico, well-" She sounded as though she was going to choke on her words. "They said there was an accident and…" She trailed off as tears began to well up on the edges of her eyelids.

Altair's eyes widened. "An accident?" Claudia only nodded and Altair felt as though his entire body was going numb.

"He was so angry when Mama and Papa were arrested. I was too, but… Before we were separated, he was going on and on about things that made no sense. Conspiracies and the like. I knew he was upset, but…" She trailed off. "They wouldn't say what happened to him."

Altair reached up and grabbed the empty stub, where his ring finger should have been. "Just an accident… huh?"

Claudia nodded again, and took a few steps towards Altair. "But Ezio… is he… Is he here?"

"Hm?" Altair looked down at her. "No… Sorry. He couldn't come today, and I didn't exactly have time to tell him I found you, but… if you want to come with me, I can—"

"Come with you?" She looked a little taken aback by the statement. "I couldn't… I… Sister Teodora has been so nice and accommodating to me here, and I do like it here." She turned to him again. "I couldn't just leave."

Altair honestly could not sympathize with that sentiment. He had jumped at the first opportunity to escape his own boarding school, but… He couldn't force her to go either. He frowned and put his hands to his hips. "Don't you want to see Ezio?"

"Of course I do!" Claudia looked offended now. "I just…" She trailed off again, and Altair tilted his head, before lowering his hands to his sides again.

"Alright, I get it." He nodded. "I'll bring Ezio back up here. To see you."

"You will?"

"Yes, of course." He chewed on his lip, thoughtfully. "I'm not sure when…" It wasn't as if he had the driver and his huge black car at his disposal after all. But he'd find a way. Take a bus or something.

"When doesn't matter!" Claudia turned to him, smiling from ear to ear. "As long as he gets up here to see me!" She suddenly shoved the chair out of the way and darted forwards wrapping her arms around Altair's waist. "Thank you, Altair. Thank you so much."

He swallowed hard, clearly uncomfortable with the display of affection, and awkwardly patted her on the back. "You're welcome. Now… I um… I gotta go. I'll bring Ezio back up here sometime soon."

Claudia released him, and pulled away from him, and smiled up at him. "Alright. Tell Ezio I said hello, and that I miss him so much."

"I will."

And with that, she was gone. She left the office and left Altair standing there, gripping the stub of his finger tightly. He looked down at the floor, and sighed. Everything was so convoluted. He wasn't sure if he'd ever make sense of any of it. Slowly he began to pick himself up , and turned to the door. He opened it, slowly and stepped outside, closing it behind him. He looked up to see Sister Teodora looking down at him, looking very sad. For him, maybe?

He swallowed and looked up at her. "Yes?"

She smiled a little, though it was still a very sad smile. "Be safe out there, Altair."

Altair raised an eyebrow, and nodded very slowly. "Alright… I will." He edged his way past her, and into the waiting room, where he very quickly noticed the distinct lack of Maria. He felt relief flood through him as he made his way to the front door. He pushed it open and stepped out onto the front steps, looking out into the parking lot and scanning for any signs of the black car. He hoped to god that the driver hadn't just left him there. Finally he spotted it, parked along a small curb, and he hopped down the stairs towards it. As he neared it, he noticed the driver of the car was standing outside the passenger side of the car, and was pleasantly conversing with another man, who was leaning against the hood. The man was bald, and very well dressed, but there was something about him, that set Altair on edge. Like he had seen him somewhere before. As he drew closer, he suddenly noticed another person with the two, and he suddenly felt his stomach churn as he realized who it was.

"Oh, Altair." Maria looked up, and smiled at him. "Are you leaving?"

The two men looked over at him suddenly, completely dropping their conversation to focus their attention on him. Altair felt like he was being studied. He squirmed and nodded. "Yeah."

The driver of the car smiled down at him, and straightened. He looked as though he was about to say something, but the bald man he was talking to beat him to it. "Who's this?" He asked, pointing down at Altair, sneering as he did so.

Altair had opened his mouth to speak for himself, but Maria stepped up beside the bald man and with a large grin said. "His name is Altair, sir."

Altair raised an eyebrow at her calling the bald man 'sir', but decided not to question it. He looked up at the bald man, and shrugged. "What she said."

"You two know each other?" The bald man motioned between him and Maria.

This time it was his turn to cut her off, as she opened her mouth to say 'yes', Altair beat her to the punch. "No. Not really. We met in the hall."

The bald man seemed rather unimpressed, and looked Altair up and down with a snort. He then turned to the driver and pointed at him, as if he was pointing to an old ugly chair he'd like to return to the thrift store, rather than a person. "This isn't the boy you were talking about is it?"

The driver smiled. "Oh no." He reached over and put a hand on Altair's shoulder. "I'm just picking up Altair for a friend of mine." He then looked down and met Altair's gaze. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

Altair glanced between the two adults, but did not bother shrugging off his hand. "Yeah. I did."

"Well then, I'll take you back home." The driver nodded and then turned back to the bald man, and extended his hand. "Robert, it's always a pleasure."

The man shook it, briefly but sincerely and then turned away. "Come, Maria. It's time to go."

"Alright." Maria nodded and looked back to Altair. "Bye, Altair. See you around."

And with that, the two of them walked deeper into the parking lot, leaving Altair with a sour look on his face. "God, I hope not." He muttered. The driver laughed a little and then walked back to the car, and pulled open the back door.

"Shall we go, then?"

Altair looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah… Thank you."

"My pleasure."

Altair climbed into the back of the car, and the driver shut the door before walking around to the other side to get behind the wheel. Altair pulled his seatbelt down around himself, as the driver started the car and drove away. "So who was that guy?" Altair looked up, leaning one arm onto the arm rest.

The driver looked up into the rear view mirror, to get a glance at Altair, and then looked back at the road. "That was Robert De Sable."

Altair frowned and, ran a hand over his chin. "That name sounds familiar."

"It should." The driver nodded. "He's a very rich, and very powerful man."

"Is that girl his daughter or something?"

"Maria?" He saw the driver crack a smile. "No, not exactly. She's his… ward, I suppose. Something of a father, though they've never described their relationship that way."

"Hmf." Altair folded his arms and leaned back into the seat. "She was annoying."

The driver let out a short barking laugh. "I think she liked you."

"Gross."

This only prompted more laughter, and Altair resigned himself to the fact that this was going to be a very long car ride.

* * *

Altair was starting to wonder if this whole thing was worth it. Finding Claudia had been one thing, but finding Ezio was going to be another thing entirely. He was not so easily tracked down, and Altair had already used up all the points he had amassed with the mysterious man on the telephone. But still, he had to try. After all Ezio was… sort of family… he guessed.

Once the driver had dropped him off back near his house, Altair had thanked him, and then begun wandering in the same general direction he had seen Ezio bolt off in earlier. He had briefly contemplated stopping by the house to see if everyone was okay, but it wasn't on fire, or a pile of rubble, so he was able to assume everyone inside was at least relatively okay.

He found himself wandering through the streets of the small city for what must have been at least an hour or so, because it was starting to get dark, and the streetlights were beginning to turn on. He was starting to wonder if he should just call it a day, but a voice in the back of his mind would not let him leave Ezio out in the street all night. Though knowing his luck, Ezio had wandered back to the house and was safe inside while he trekked through the streets looking for him.

Still this theory proved to be incorrect, and as the sun was just barely still shining some light upon the land, Altair spotted Ezio, sitting dejectedly on an old rusted playground. It wasn't totally surprising to find him, here, since they brought the other children there quite often, to play on what Altair was sure was an ambulance ride waiting to happen. Still, he sighed and braced himself for what he was sure was the fifth time that day he'd have to have an incredibly difficult conversation. He hopped over the small fence that separated him from the old playground and slowly walked up to it, where Ezio was sitting and staring off into space. He walked up to the creaky wooden structure and looked up at Ezio, while shoving his hands into his pockets, and once again found he had absolutely no idea what to say.

"You know it's like eight o'clock, right?" Ezio suddenly spoke up, leaning into his hands, that sat folded over a metal bar.

"Huh?"

"I ran away at what… Three thirty? It took you five hours to find me?"

Altair felt a smile tug at the corner of his lips. "Sorry."

"Or did you just think I'd get over it and come home."

"No, Ezio, that's not it…" The smile was gone and he sighed reaching up to rub the back of his head. "Look, can you just come down here? We… need to talk."

"I can hear you fine from right here."

"Ezio, please."

"No, I don't want to come down."

"Stop being a brat."

"That's a fine apology."

"Ezio…"

"No, forget it." He murmured into his hands. "If you're not here to apologize, then go away."

"I found your sister."

Everything was silent for what could have very well ben an eternity. Ezio leaned back away from the pole and stared down at Altair with wide eyes. "What?"

Altair sighed and looked at the ground. "I found Claudia."

Suddenly, Ezio couldn't get to the ground, fast enough. "You found her? Where is she? Is she close? Is she alright?"

"She's fine. She's worried about you, but… she's alright. She's at the Blooming Rose Girls Academy. I can take you up there sometime, but…"

"This is great!" Ezio gasped, holding a hand to his forehead. "I can't believe you found her, Altair!"

The words wouldn't come all of a sudden. He looked up at Ezio, who was staring with such hope, and such happiness that it made Altair feel like the worst person alive. "I… also found out about… your brothers too."

"You did?!" Ezio reeled back, before reaching up and grabbing Altair's shoulders. "That's great! Altair, you did that for me? Really?! I can't believe it! Where are they?"

"Ezio…"

"How did you even do it? In the span of five hours, you did what I was trying to do for at least a year. That's incredible. You're incredible."

"Ezio, I…"

"Well? Tell me where they are! I'm gonna see my family again!"

"Ezio!" Altair reached up and grabbed his shoulders. The younger boy fell silent, and stared up at him, suddenly grasping how serious the scenario was. "Ezio, I… Claudia told me that…"

"Told you… what?"

Altair sighed and let his head droop. He shook his head. "She said that Petruccio took a bad turn, Ezio. She said he's in the hospital, but she doesn't know what his condition was, and that Federico was…"

Ezio's face was unreadable as he leaned forwards. "Was…?"

Altair pushed away from him and reached forwards and grabbed his finger again. "She said there was an accident."

"An accident?"

"Ezio, I'm… I'm so sorry. I'm sorry about what I said, I'm sorry to tell you this, I'm sorry about everything." He raised a hand to his face. "I feel awful."

Ezio remained silent for a few seconds. "He's dead?"

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, Ezio."

The two boys stood in the middle of the play ground, Every form of apology Altair knew crossed his mind, but every one of them died in his mouth, and he wasn't able to say anything. He and Ezio just stared at each other, Ezio's face an unreadable mixture of sadness and grief, and what might have anger. The two just stood there, staring at one another, as the world around them got darker and darker.

And then finally, Ezio moved. He leaned forwards and put his head onto Altair's shoulder. Altair started a bit at the sudden contact, but then wrapped his arms around Ezio and held him there. Altair had never felt an over abundance of control in life, especially not recently, but this was the first time he had ever felt so completely helpless. He wanted to take back everything, and just go back to this morning, when everything was fine, instead of staying in this world, where it seemed like nothing was ever going to be fine again. And all he could do, was hold Ezio, and let him stay there for as long as he needed.

He wasn't sure just how long they had stayed that way, but it had nearly startled him out of his skin when Ezio spoke. "Altair?"

He looked down at Ezio, and then looked back up at the sky where he had been staring. "Yeah, Ezio?"

There was a long pause, and then Ezio shifted against his shoulder. "Can we go home now?"

Altair felt his throat tighten and he held Ezio just a little tighter to him. "Sure. Lets go home."


	9. Being Kids

If there was one thing that Haytham Kenway prided himself on, it was that he was a man of punctuality and propriety. The state that he kept his office in was almost a perfect reflection of his personality. A place for everything and everything in its place. The walls were a pale blue, and the carpeting a darker blue, with a large white triangular logo, that represented the company he worked for. The word 'Abstergo Industries' was written in large black print along the side of the wall, and above it were three large clocks, each set to a different time zone.

Haytham sat behind a large wooden desk, in front of a flat-screened computer, with his hands folded quietly over his chin. He very briefly glanced down at the large smart phone that lay beside him with its screen darkened, and then looked back up at the work he was supposed to be doing. The last thing he had expected that day was a call from Altair. He made a habit to keep close tabs on the boy, and the group of children he lived with. In particular, he paid very close attention to Connor.

He reached across his keyboard and tapped a few keys, before tracing his finger down the track pad, and clicked down on a link. Instantly a picture of the five children illuminated his computer screen, and Haytham leaned back frowning. In the picture, the five of them were walking down a city street, and Haytham's eyes lingered on the small tan skinned boy at the front of the group, holding the hand of the only girl in the unit.

It was remarkable how much he looked like his mother. They shared the same set of their eyes, and the freckle pattern over his nose and cheeks was nearly identical. The tips of Haytham's fingers brushed up against the screen and he clenched his fists, setting them down against the table. This was not how it should be. Altair's primary worry should be high school at his age, and Ezio's only concern should be the stress of transferring from junior high to high school. Aveline would barely be learning multiplication and division, and Desmond should just be beginning the alphabet. And Connor… Connor should live in a world of luxury, free of worry, with a father present in his life, and security, and knowledge he was safe.

Instead Altair worked tirelessly to uncover mysteries well beyond his comprehension, while trying to keep his makeshift family clothed and fed and safe. Ezio was forced to come to grips with the fact his family would never be the same again, and there were even some of them that he would never see again. Connor and Aveline had witnessed the death of the people who had loved them most, and were barely learning what it meant to be children again, and Desmond was nothing more than a four year old child forced into a difficult situation beyond his understanding.

And Haytham was burdened knowing that there was nothing more he could do for them, and that in a way, it was entirely his fault for putting them there.

As he moved the mouse up to close the picture, he was suddenly startled by his phone letting out a loud chirp, and vibrating against the table. He reached out and grabbed it and lifted it up to look at it, and saw a small black box with the words: "They're home now" written in white letters inside it. A text. He clicked his phone open, and texted a one handed reply back, leaning back in his seat. "Thank you." He typed, before tapping the send button nonchalantly and setting it down onto the desk again.

He raised a hand up to his forehead and covered his eyes, taking a deep breath in. He contemplated shutting down his computer, and simply leaving for the day, when there was a loud knock at his office door. He sat up, letting his hand fall, and leaned forwards. "Yes?"

The door opened quickly and a man stepped into his office, folding his hands behind his back, and shutting it behind him. "As usual, Haytham, I am thoroughly impressed with the way you run things around here."

Haytham pushed himself to his feet and raised his eyebrow. "Robert. What a surprise." He walked around the desk, and reached forwards, taking Robert's hand firmly in his hand and shaking it briefly. "What brings you to this part of the country?"

"I'm here to check on Maria." Robert walked around Haytham to his desk, reaching down to idly inspect a paperweight. "Of course, the Blooming Rose is one of the best schools in the country, and I'm confident your people are teaching her what she needs to know." He looked up and grinned a set of painfully white teeth at him. "I just like to check in, every now and then."

"Of course." Haytham folded his hands behind his back. "And are you pleased with the results?"

Robert hummed a response and turned to look out the window. "She seems to be doing well. Learning much. I can't ask for more. She's downstairs with your Mr. Lee, as we speak." He looked to Haytham. "So I thought I'd stop by and say hello."

Haytham nodded. "Charles has taken over most of her teachings. And you couldn't find a finer educator."

"Indeed." Robert spoke dryly. "I saw Holden today, you know."

Haytham's blood ran cold. "Did you?"

"Yes. He was at the Blooming Rose." Robert turned to him smiling a little. "Picking up a boy."

"A boy." Haytham raised his eyebrow, but kept his hands folded tightly behind his back. His nails were digging deeply into his skin. "At the… all girls academy?"

Robert raised his hand and pointed at Haytham, a gesture to say 'spot on'. "That's _exactly_ what I thought. And he was a filthy little thing too. Looked like Holden had just pulled him off the streets."

Haytham shrugged his shoulders casually. "Perhaps he was there to visit someone? A sister perhaps? I suppose I could ask Holden about it."

"Well, I doubt its anything worth investigating." Robert shrugged and turned around. "It just struck me as odd, that's all. That Holden should be there, I mean. The boy could have been there for any number of reasons. Maria had more of a fascination with him than I did."

"Maria met him?"

"Yes. She attempted conversation with him in the halls, but according to her, the boy was a bit of a brat."

"Hm." Haytham felt himself smile a little. "Well, I'll ask Holden. Perhaps he was doing someone a favor."

"Yes, that seems most likely, doesn't it?" Robert walked over to him, and stood there a moment before straightening himself out and looking over at the door. "Well I suppose I should be off. It was nice talking with you."

"And you as well." Haytham nodded as Robert slowly left his office, and he eyed his cell phone, at the back of his desk. Thank god that Robert was too stuck up to bother engaging himself in anything he thought beneath him, otherwise he might have ended up doing some digging into Altair's affairs. He reached down and picked up his cell and flipped through his contacts, to Holden's number. He pressed a large green button and held the device to his ear.

The phone rang a few minutes and then finally, Holden answered. "Sir?"

"I just met with Robert De Sable."

"Ah, yes sir. He was at the Blooming Rose academy."

Haytham rested his hand against the cool wood of his desk. "Did you tell him anything about Altair?"

"No, sir. Nothing. Just that I was there to pick him up."

"Good." Haytham sighed. "Thank you, Holden."

"Of course. Would you like me to bring the car around, sir?"

"Yes, I think you better had." He reached up to massage his temple. "I have some things to take care of at home."

"Very good, I'll be there in a moment."

Haytham hung up the phone and pocketed it quietly. He reached down to his desk telephone and punched a number before leaning over as the speaker came on. "Charles?"

It took a few moments but, after a short pause, there was a reply. "Yes?"

"I'm leaving the office for today. I assume you can take of things?"

"Of course."

Haytham smirked and shook his head. "Silly of me to even ask, isn't it? I'll see you tomorrow, Charles." He paused. "Is Maria still with you?"

"Yes, but not for much longer."

"Hm." Haytham nodded. "Thank you, then."

"Of course, sir."

Haytham hung up the phone and sighed heavily into his hand. This whole thing was getting more and more complicated by the day. He walked over to the door, and removed his coat, before sliding it on over his suit jacket, and walking out the door. Maybe there was more he could do to keep Altair and his friends safe.

* * *

"And this… is why I should never leave the house for more than four hours." Altair felt his eye start to twitch, and he could hear Ezio stifling a snicker beside him. It wasn't that the house was in a state of disarray any more so than it was usually, but its youngest inhabitants were… well… "I blame you, Ezio."

"Me?" Ezio looked over at him. His eyes were still a little blood shot, and he looked very tired and sad, but that wasn't going to stop Altair from blaming him.

"Yes, you." Altair folded his arms. "If you hadn't run away, I wouldn't have had to leave two nine year olds and one four year old alone in a house with about ten cans of soda."

"Oh. Right." Ezio smiled and looked back at the spectacle unfolding before them. "I guess I wasn't here to supervise, huh?"

The youngest trio of the house hold had indeed, downed about nine of those cans of soda, and were now laying pillows and cushions from chairs and the sofa along the floor, to jump across, and holler as they ran off of an overdose of caffeine. Connor was hopping from the couch to the coffee table with Desmond in tow, holding onto the younger boy's hand, while Aveline was on the large cushioned chair, trying to jump to one of the strategically placed cushions. Finally, the three hyperactive children seemed to notice their presence, and looked up from their respective cushions or tables.

"Ezio!" Aveline cheered. "You're back!"

Ezio chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah… Sorry we were gone so long."

Altair turned his head to survey the state of the living room, and took a step inside. "What on earth is all this?" He asked as he stepped onto the carpet.

"Don't step there!" Desmond suddenly cried, running to the edge of the table, and gasping in horror.

Altair looked up at him, his foot hovering over the carpeted floor. "Why?"

"The floor is lava." Connor said, folding his arms, knowingly. "If you step there, you'll burn and die."

Altair pulled his foot back and set it on the tiled spot of floor that was next to the door. "Oh, the floor is made of lava. Of course. How silly of me."

"You have to jump." Desmond said, hopping up and down on the table and pointing to some of the cushions on the floor.

"Yeah, Altair." Ezio said, patting him on the back and pushing him forwards a little. "You've gotta jump."

"Come over here with me!" Desmond cried, holding his hands up.

"I don't…" Altair started, frowning at the floor.

"Come on!" Aveline called. "Jump onto that cushion!"

"Yeah, go on, Altair!" Ezio encouraged, smiling, although Altair could tell part of it was forced.

He sighed and lowered his shoulders exasperatedly, and put his hands on his hips. "Fine. I'll jump. But once you've all calmed down, you're all in trouble for drinking all that soda in one night."

"Oh just jump!" Connor said leaping onto the couch again. "See? It's easy."

Altair frowned, but bent his knees and leapt onto the cushion in the middle of the floor, before leaping from pillow to pillow onto the coffee table, with Desmond. Desmond cheered, delightedly, and grabbed onto his shirt, pulling down.

"Carry me! Carry me over to where Aveline is!"

Altair bent down and picked Desmond up, and looked over to the door where Ezio was still standing. He cracked a small smile as he balanced Desmond on his hip. "What's the matter, Ezio? Are you scared of the lava?"

"Nope." Ezio nodded. "See, _I'm_ allowed to step on the lava."

"What?" Connor looked up at him from where he was balancing on the arm of the couch. "No you can't."

"Yes I can. Don't you guys know?"

"Know what?" Aveline asked, kicking her feet back and forth, sitting on the edge of the chair.

"I'm a lava monster. And if I pull you into the lava, then you become lava monsters too!" And then, he leapt onto the carpet, and charged over to Aveline who screamed and scurried up the back of the chair, leaping onto a table and over to the couch where Connor, Altair and Desmond stood.

Altair laughed and shook his head, bouncing Desmond on his hip. "Do you want to be a lava monster, Desmond?"

"No!" Desmond cried, grabbing onto Altair's hood, and pulling his face into his shoulder. "Run from the monster!"

"You heard him kids. Run!" He jumped onto the cushion as Ezio darted over and grabbed at them. The five of them all leapt across the cushions and chairs, for what must have been hours, and didn't stop until well into the night. And honestly, Altair was really okay with that. All those serious and sad feelings could wait for another time. Right now, it was alright just to be kids.


End file.
